Total Drama Stranded
by agreenparrot
Summary: Twenty new teens compete on an island where they have to build their own shelters and supplies. Nearly every kid has some secret or lie with them that'll play an important role in their game.
1. New and Improved: Part 1

_Author's Note: Hi, everybody. Here's my new series, I hope you like it. If you're one of my readers, I promise that I will get back to Total Drama ReAction soon, but I just need a break for now. So here's twenty new characters!_

The camera focused in on a familiar host standing on a wooden. Chris McClean finished fixing his hair before grinning his charming smile at the audience.

"Greetings, valued viewers," he exclaimed, "and welcome to another exciting installment in the Total Drama series. We've got twenty new teens coming for a chance to win fame and the grand prize of one million dollars!"

He paused for dramatic effect.

"However," he continued, "we've made a few changes for this season. For starters…"

The camera zoomed out to show the environment around Chris. The island was covered with a wild forest. No sign of human monuments could be seen anywhere.

"That's right, no more toxic waste dump," Chris said. "We've moved to a brand new island. And this time there's no cabins, no prepared meals, no nothing. The campers will truly feel what it's like to be stranded. Which is fitting because this season shall henceforth be known as…Total. Drama. Stranded!"

Once again he paused as he raised his hands in the air.

"Not only that, but this time, the runner up will also be rewarded," Chris declared. "They'll be given the-nice, but not great-prize of one hundred thousand dollars."

A blaring honk interrupted Chris's speech.

"Ah, the first contestant is arriving," Chris said like a giddy child. "Now, for this season we made sure we recruited the top teens to bring drama. Nearly all of them have some form of deceit in them. They'll be lies and secrets; façades and betrayals galore this season. Now let's meet contestant number one."

As the boat arrived at the dock, Chris was greeted with a baton to the nose.

"L-U-V, Chelsea!" A girl chanted as she stepped off the boat. "Y-O-U, you want me!"

The tall girl had sandy blonde hair that was streaked with turquoise. Everything about her seemed to match the blue colour scheme. She wore blue eye-shadow, a blue shirt, blue skirt, blue shoes, and of course, he baton was blue. Her expression radiated with enthusiasm.

"That's right, this is Chelsea," Chris said as he pushed the baton out of his face. "She's a cheerleader."

"Come on, let me hear it!" Chelsea continued to chant. "I'm talking spirit. Let's bring it. Cause I plan to king it—"

"Chelsea, why don't you save the rhyming for later?" Chris said as he shoved her to the other side of the dock.

"Fine then, I will," Chelsea pouted as she stuck her nose up in the other direction.

"We've got contestant number two right here," Chris announced as the boat returned. "Let's welcome Rusty!"

The boy who stepped off the boat had orange hair that spiked at the top. Above his eyes was a pair of goggles. He wore an orange shirt, with a black vest on top.

"Rusty, Rusty, is he trusty?" Chelsea returned to her cheering habit.

"And who might you be?" Rusty asked with a sly grin.

"The name's Chelsea," the cheerleader exclaimed as she held her hand out to shake. "I look forward to competing with you, but I must warn you, I've competed in national cheer-offs, I know how to bring it."

Rusty snorted before cracking into laughter. Chelsea smiled awkwardly, but her eyes seemed confused.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You are so going down," Rusty laughed. "Your attitude…it's just so pathetic."

Chelsea puffed out her chest in frustration as she scowled.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to have a nice fair game," Chelsea declared.

"No, if you don't mind getting eliminated and losing the money," Rusty continued to laugh. "I could destroy you in one week. But who knows, maybe if you get my good side I'll take pity and let you stay a little longer."

"I don't think I like you very much," Chelsea declared.

"I'm loving this drama already," Chris exclaimed. "But we've got to meet the next contestant. Say hello to Esme!"

The next girl to leave the boat took her time with her steps. She wore a light blue shirt and periwinkle pants, but all that was easy to miss compared to her silver hair down up in a single pigtail and her piercing grey eyes staring forward.

"Welcome to Total Drama Stranded, Esme," Chris said.

Esme whipped her head to face Chris and fixated her eyes on him.

"Greetings, Christopher McClean," she spoke with equal accent on each word.

"Well, she's weird," Rusty chuckled to Chelsea.

Esme's head snapped to look at Rusty.

"Laugh while you can, Rusty Johnson," Esme said. "Because you will be bringing misery to this world."

"Okay, tell you what, I think I'll let you stay after all," Rusty whispered to Chelsea.

Chelsea just shoved him aside.

"And look who we have here," Chris continued. "Everyone, meet Garfield-Stuart!"

A tall boy dressed in a fancy, all gold, suit stepped onto the dock. He wore shiny boots, an expensive belt, and spotless gloves. His long mane of hair was neatly brushed and he wore a warm smile on his face.

"It's just Garfield, Chris," the boy said. "And I'm pleased to be here."

He then spotted the other three and waved at them.

"These must be my new friends; I am thrilled to meet you!" he exclaimed as he approached them.

"Pfft, 'friends?'" Rusty scoffed. "This game is going to be easier than I thought."

"Say, don't I know you from somewhere?" Chelsea asked.

"That's very possible," Garfield replied. "You see, my parents appear in the news quite a bit, and I'm not stranger to the media myself. Just last week I was on TV after I helped raise money for an animal shelter in Ottawa."

"Oh my gosh, I know who you are!" Chelsea exclaimed. "Of course, Garfield-Stuart, you're always on TV helping the poor or the animals or…everything!"

Garfield blushed slightly as he said, "Well, I love this planet so much, I just want to use what I have to make this place a little better."

"That is so amazing," Chelsea gushed. "But what are you doing here?"

"A few different reasons," Garfield said. "One thing, publicity. I want to get the chance to say to thousands of viewers, 'Don't litter.' And if I win I plan on donating all of the money to charity."

"Garfield-Stuart," Esme breathed. "I must warn you, don't think that bringing happiness to others will fill the emptiness inside you. Because it won't."

"Um…okay, I don't really know what you're talking about," Garfield said as he stepped away from Esme.

"Attention everyone, contestant number five has just arrived," Chris announced. "Here's Misha!"

A small girl stepped off onto the dock. She had flowing blonde hair and watery blue eyes. She wore a magenta dress with a pink ribbon on it along with pink shoes.

"Uh, I don't know if missed the memo, but this show isn't for kids," Rusty said.

"I'm no kid, I'm sixteen," Misha answered with a sweet voice.

"Well, you are adorable anyways," Chelsea cooed.

"She's got that right," Garfield added. "Are you sure you're not tender for this kind of thing?"

Misha giggled, "I appreciate your concern, but I am quite capable of holding my own."

"And let's give a warm welcome to contestant number six," Chris said. "Riley!"

No one came off the boat.

"Um…is he invisible?" Chelsea asked.

"Riley, get out here!" Chris ordered.

"Fine…I'm coming," a voice came from the boat.

The boy had dirty red hair and a freckled face. His skin tone was somewhat darker than the previous contestants. He wore a yellow shirt, and seemed to have a tired look in his eyes.

"Everyone, meet Riley," Chris said.

As everyone offered their greetings, Riley sat down on the dock.

"Um, would you mind standing?" Chris said with irritation.

"Come on," Riley whined. "You wake me up from my daily nap, and now I can't even sit down? I'm not Superman."

"Clearly," Chris scoffed. "Anyways, let's just move right on to contestant number seven. It's Matilda."

Matilda had sleek black hair done up in a large ponytail. All of her clothes were designer models and the latest in fashion. She wore stylish jewellery on her wrists and neck, as well as the latest brand of lipstick on her face.

"Like, oh my gosh, I can't believe I am meeting face to face with Chris McClean," Matilda squealed.

"I know, I get that a lot," Chris said with a grin.

"Oh, like, I bet you do!" Matilda continued to squeal. "You were rated as the number thirty-seventh hottest Canadian celebrity of the year."

"Oh…that's nice," Chris said clearly disappointed.

"I know, isn't it?" Matilda said obliviously. "I can't wait to go home and tell all my friends that I met the thirty-seventh hottest celebrity in all of Canada!"

Matilda pranced over to join the rest of the contestants. However, she stumbled over the now sleeping Riley.

"Oops, sorry," Riley muttered as he tried to get comfortable again.

"Ick," Matilda breathed as she moved away from him.

She grouped up with Chelsea and Garfield and returned to her previous demeanor.

"Now you two definitely look like totally styling teens," she said. "I adore your baton, and those gloves, they're like so hot right now."

"Why thank you," Garfield said with a smile.

"Like, oh my gosh, I know you!" Matilda squealed again. "You're Garfield-Stuart, kid philanthropist, you're the thirty-sixth hottest celebrity in all of Canada for the year!"

"Oh, how is he above me?" Chris snorted.

The boat had returned again and the next contestant had exited. He had brown hair and his eyes were covered with black glasses. He wore a brown shirt with an orange circle on it. He held a white stick which indicated that he was blind.

"I'm on a dock, aren't I?" he exclaimed. "Why doesn't this dock have railings? I could fall off; does this dock seem safe to someone with my special affliction?"

"Oh here, I'll help you," Garfield said as he grabbed the boy's arm.

"Right, that's Jason," Chris said.

"Careful, careful, not so fast," Jason complained. "For all I know, you could be leading me right off the edge."

"I swear, I would never do that," Garfield said.

Jason just grumbled to himself.

"Anyways, let's give it up for contestant number nine, Briony!" Chris announced.

Briony had brown hair down up in a tight bun. She wore a tidy white suit and sharp glasses. She had a black skirt on and indigo stockings. Her slightly pudgy face had a perfectly neutral expression.

"Hello, Mr. McClean," she greeted.

She paused briefly as she muttered something to herself.

"Interesting, with the nine of us here, there is a forty-five percent chance that the winner is already on the island," she declared. "Of course, that is just an objective view. Next I'd have to calculate in other factors such as physical ability."

"Was that a jab at me!" Jason snapped. "Are you saying that because I'm blind I don't have just as much as a chance of you?"

"I wasn't referring to you individually…but yes," Briony said.

"I can't believe this!" Jason yelled. "I don't need people telling me what I can and can't do!"

"Uh, hate to burst your bubble, but you couldn't even walk across the dock without someone's help," Rusty pointed out.

"Uh, hate to burst your bubble but—You're a moron!" Jason shouted.

"Can we move on please?" Chris said. "We have a whole season to get your drama out. Now, meet Elijah!"

Elijah was an average heighted boy with light blue eyes. He had shoulder length hair that was a brown silver colour. He wore a black shirt with a red '0' on it and a pair of baggy pants.

"Yo," he greeted. "I'm liking the look of this cast."

He made his way around the group examining each of the girls.

"Let's see…cheerleader, very nice," he commented. "And ponytail girl, I see you've got your style on. Pigtail girl, nice I like the unique style. Fat chick, I can see that you don't worry about your body, I respect that. Pinky…sorry, I don't date kids."

"Oh, I'm not a kid, I'm sixteen," Misha giggled; then under her breath added, "And I wouldn't date you anyways."

"Now, here comes contestant number eleven," Chris announced. "It's Pamela."

"Pamela? Sounds hot," Elijah exclaimed. "Let's take a lo—Ah!"

He had a right to his reaction, Pamela looked very shocking. He black clothes looked ripped and tattered. She wore metal on her wrists. Half of her black hair had been shaved right off.

"Well, what are you staring at?" she barked as she shoved Elijah aside.

As she marched across the dock, she made sure to dig her heel into the sleeping Riley's back.

"Lazy pig," she scoffed in disgust as she walked past him.

"Um…hi," Chelsea said trying to stay polite.

"Oh, a cheerleader," Pamela sneered. "How'd you get that body, starve yourself for a month?"

"Hey, listen you," Matilda said angrily.

"And what are you wearing?" Pamela snorted as Matilda's jewellery. "I've never seen anything so ugly."

"They're not ugly, they're hot!" Matilda pouted. "And like, you don't know anything about fashion."

"Now, for contestant number twelve," Chris continued. "Everyone, say hi to Jojo!"

"Go long!" a voice came from the boat.

A football soared over the dock and headed straight for Pamela.

"Wha—" was all Pamela could get out before the football smacked right into her nose.

Several campers couldn't help but snicker at her misfortune.

"Jojo is in the house!" the boy announced as he stepped off the boat.

He wore a baseball cap, a red and white sweater and sport shorts. He had blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

"Wow, he's cute," Chelsea breathed.

"I know, like, his hotness score would totally be somewhere in the eighties," Matilda exclaimed. "Not higher than ninety, though, he's not that hot."

"Hey, this yours?" Pamela yelled as she held up the football.

"Yeah, pass!" Jojo exclaimed as he prepared to catch it.

"Go long," Pamela smirked as she tossed the ball into the water.

"And next up we've got Ilona!" Chris announced.

A shorter girl with darker skin stepped off the boat. She wore a purple shirt and a matching headband. She had a messy mop of hair that was a dusty brown. She didn't wear shoes and only had a white wrapping around her feet and hands.

"Hello, everyone," she greeted with dignity in her voice. "I am Ilona. I hope you all give me your best shot, and I will return the favor."

"Now, I can get along with her," Chelsea declared.

"Moving along, meet Keith!" Chris said.

Keith was average sized. He had a light blue hood with the hood up. His long hair was platinum blond and done up in a ponytail.

"Hi," he greeted with a friendly smile.

His eyes seemed to be scanning each person in depth. He continued to pace around the cast with curiosity.

"And," Chris continued, "contestant number fifteen is—"

He was cut off as a burst of purple smoke came out of the boat. Everyone started to cough as it filled the entire vicinity. When it had cleared a girl dressed in a large yellow dress stood on the dock. She wore a golden tiara and a draping, transparent cloth over her mouth. Her entire outfit was studded with rubies.

"Presenting…Desdemona!" she announced with a soothing, silky voice.

"Yeah, nice to meet you," Chris said as he shooed away to purple smoke.

Desdemona grabbed his hand, but didn't shake it. Instead she seemed to be examining it.

"Uh…is something wrong?" Chris asked.

"Voila!" Desdemona exclaimed she revealed a playing card. "The Ace of Spades!"

"And does that mean anything?" Chris asked.

"I means…everything!" Desdemona exclaimed dramatically. "This one card tells me everything I need to know about you, Mr. McClean. For one thing…have you called your mother lately?"

"Um…no I don't think so," Chris said.

Desdemona lowered her headed and 'tsk tsk'd.

"I suggest you do that soon," Desdemona said. "She's feeling very lonely.

"Whoa, that's pretty cool," Elijah exclaimed. "What else can you tell us? Who will win the grand prize? Who will be eliminated first? And which one of these lovely ladies will I hook up with? And don't feel obligated to just say yourself, all you have to do is ask."

"I am sorry, but I cannot reveal such information," Desdemona said. "The time stream is a powerful force and I dare not abuse my gift."

"That's a pretty lousy gift if you can't even use it," Rusty sneered.

"Oh I beg to differ," Desdemona said. "For instance, if I didn't have my gift, I wouldn't know that you'll be leaving us soon."

Several campers grinned at that idea.

"Anyone could tell you that," Briony declared. "Outward negativity is always a factor is early eliminations."

Keith seemed to have stopped his gaze on Desdemona and watched her intently. Desdemona noticed his gaze, then looked away.

"We're almost done," Chris declared. "Next up, you can all say hi to Calvin!"

Calvin was a shorter boy. He had fluffy black hair with a red and blue headband. He had a purple jacket and athletic shorts. Like Keith, his eyes seemed to be already appraising his competition.

"It is nice to meet you, Calvin," Ilona greeted.

Calvin ignored her and walked right past her. Instead he approached Jojo.

"Hey, you look like a sporto," he said.

"Yep, that's me," Jojo said with a proud smile.

"That's cool, I think you're my kind of guy," Calvin said.

Several campers just shrugged at Calvin.

"And who do we have here?" Chris said. "Why it's none other than, Shannon."

Shannon barely had any clothes on at all. She was simply wearing a grey bikini. She had yellow hair that rolled down her back. She wore heavy makeup and seemed to be tanned.

"Hey, boys," she greeted as she waved flirtatiously.

"Actually, fifty percent of us are girls," Briony pointed out.

"Well, I wasn't talking to the girls," Shannon huffed as she joined the crowd.

"Who do we have here?" she exclaimed as she noticed Riley.

"Hi, I'm Riley," he yawned.

"Hey, Riley, do you need someone to cuddle up next to you?" Shannon asked.

"Nah, I'm good," Riley said as he closed his eyes again.

"Well, just let me get comfortable," Shannon said as she pulled herself close to Riley.

She made sure to position herself so that his face was directly in contact with her face. Riley cracked an eye open when he realized she wasn't leaving.

"Could you move please?" Riley asked. "I was kinda in a good dream and I can't get back to sleep with you lying next to me."

"Well, I can make a good dream better," Shannon whispered as she pulled herself in closer.

Riley just shoved her away.

"Um, Shannon, we're in the middle of an international television show," Chris said.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Shannon giggled. "I'm sure they whole world would love to get a good look at my body."

"Whatever," Chris sighed. "We've got Stanley up next."

Stanley had black hair and olive coloured eyes. He wore a leather jacket that was studded with metal.

"Ooh, what a handsome man," Shannon exclaimed as she pulled herself up next to Stanley.

"Ooh, what an intrusive girl," Stanley mimicked as he pushed her aside.

Shannon looked somewhat thrown off, but she quickly regained herself.

"I see, waiting to get me alone are you?" Shannon giggled.

"Do I know you?" Stanley asked. "Or are you like this with every guy you meet within two seconds?"

"You're so funny," Shannon laughed. "Normally guys are all over me…but I don't mind having to…work a little bit."

"Well, good luck with that," Stanley said.

Shannon was visibly frustrated, but she just moved on to Keith.

"Hey, cutie," she exclaimed.

"We're down to our last girl," Chris said. "Meet Sasha!"

Sasha had dark brown skin and black hair. She wore a light pink dress and had bunch of pink ribbons in her hair.

"Greetings, Good King McClean," she greeted. "So this is the Isle of Dramatic Totallities. Ah yes, I can feel the enchantments and mystery just emitting from the emerald grass."

"Is she okay?" Jojo asked.

"Nah, she's a freak," Calvin declared. "Just ignore her and she'll probably fine a nice whole to die in."

"What's this? A challenge!" Sasha exclaimed as she charged over to Calvin. "And what is your name, warrior? What claim to you have over me that allow you to declare me an inferior?"

"I'm Calvin," the boy replied. "And you're a freak…end of story."

"And now for the final contestant of Total Drama Stranded," Chris announced. "Um…'No Name Given.'"

The person who stepped off the boat wore a tight black suit. His entire face was covered with a mask of a snarling skull.

"Um…and you are?" Chris asked.

The masked boy just looked at him before walking over to the crowd.

"Not a talker, eh?" Chris exclaimed. "Well, I suppose we couldn't expect to get twenty new kids without one dud."

"Alright, Chris, where are the cabins?" Chelsea asked.

"Right, right, this is probably a good time to tell you," Chris said. "There are none."

He received a collective gasp.

"I'm confused, where are staying?" Calvin asked.

"Well, the twenty of you are going to have to find your own ways to survive this island," Chris said.

"Excuse me, Mr. McClean, but where's the Confession Cam?" Misha asked. "I'd like to say a few things."

"Yeah, we have to lose that too," Chris said. "But we've got cameras everywhere. Just go behind a bush where probably no one will hear you. Go ahead, you can all take this time to give a few words to the audience.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Ugh, if one more person calls me a kid I swear I will break their neck! Yeah, that's right, I'm not some sweet little girl. But I came here to win, and the only way I'm going to do that is to be as least threatening as possible.

**Calvin-**There are two kinds of people in the world, winners and losers. I'm a winner, and I'm betting that Jojo guy is too. The cheerleader might have the right stuff too. But there's plenty of losers too, like that crazy girl and the tubby nerd.

**Desdemona-**Yes, they bought it! Okay, here's my confession, I'm not actually some mystic fortune teller. It's just that, kooky people seem to get the most love, yet never win. So I can cruise right on by to the finish line.

**Shannon-**All these guys want me; how could they not? Maybe they're feeling a little tired from the boat trip, but once things heat up, they'll be fighting over me.

**Stanley-**Yeah, even if I wasn't gay I wouldn't want that Shannon girl crawling all over me like that. Still, I can't wait to see her face when I tell her the truth.

* * *

"Okay, you said all you need to say?" Chris asked.

"Chris, if I may ask," Ilona said. "What will are teams be? I think I know who I do and don't want."

"Teams will be decided by our first challenge," Chris declared. "There are two sites waiting for you where you will set up and build a shelter. One is next to a river and one is up a mountain. You must explore the forest to find one of these sites. Whoever you end up with will be your teammates. Any questions?"

"But if more than ten people come to one site," Briony began.

"Get moving!" Chris interrupted.

The twenty teens hurried into the woods in a scattered fashion. Those that were physically fit like Jojo took the lead, while others like Briony were falling behind. Riley hadn't even left the dock.

"And they're off!" Chris exclaimed to the audience. "Oh this is so exciting…Riley, I said 'get moving.'"

"In a minute," Riley complained from the ground.

* * *

(The Forest)

"The three of us should stick together," Chelsea said to Garfield and Matilda. "We'd make a great team."

"Oh, absolutely," Matilda agreed. "With the three of us combined we'd, like, make a hotness score so high it would totally fill up half a magazine."

Garfield had just noticed a flash of pink from behind some bushes and realized that they weren't alone.

"Would you like to join us?" he asked as Misha emerged from the bushes.

"Well," Misha said uncertainly.

"Come on, I know you said you can handle yourself, but these thing are always easier with friends," Chelsea insisted.

"Be careful, though," Matilda added. "It would like be a major shame if that adorable dress got dirty and ruined."

"Well, alright, if you don't mind me," Misha said as she grouped up with the other three.

"Not at all, what kind of gentleman would turn away a charming young lady like you?" Garfield said.

The four continued to make their way through the forest without any direction.

"Anyways, Misha, like I was saying, that dress is super fabulous," Matilda exclaimed. "Wherever did you get it?"

"Oh, well I made it with my grandmother," Misha answered. "She wanted me to look pretty for all the nice people."

"That is so sweet," Chelsea exclaimed.

"I know, nothing is hotter than self-made fashion right now," Matilda added.

"So, guys, do you have any idea where we're going?" Misha asked.

"Meh, we'll figure it out eventually," Matilda shrugged. "Now I need to know, what kind of hair products do you use, because you hair is oh so glorious!"

Misha sighed to herself before smiling warmly at Matilda.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Those girls are so annoying. They don't talk about anything aside from their precious fashion. I don't know how they plan to survive this game, let alone this challenge.

**Chelsea-**Misha is such a sweetie. I hope this game isn't too stressful for her.

* * *

"Stanley, Stanley!" Shannon beckoned as she paced through the forest. "Where's my big, hot Stanley? Being out here in the wild is making my feel a little wild on the inside."

Shannon continued to explore the forest, obliviously unaware that Stanley was hiding behind a tree to get away from her. He spotted Calvin and Jojo jogging behind and quickly moved to join up with them.

"Hey, guys, mind if I join you?" he asked. "That girl with no cloths on is starting to freak me out."

"Sure, Stanley, you seem like a good teammate," Calvin said.

"Thanks guys," Stanley said as he broke into an even pace with them. "I don't know what her deal is, but seems like she needs to have all eyes on her."

"I wouldn't mind having a nice looking girl clinging off of me," Calvin said. "But preferably one a little more bearable than her."

The two eventually slowed down to take a look at their surroundings.

"Chris said that one camp is on a mountain," Calvin said. "And I can definitely make out some mountains in that direction."

Jojo noticed that Stanley seemed to be staring at his face.

"Do I have something on my nose?" Jojo asked as he motioned to brush off any dirt.

"No, I was just noticing that you have really nice eyes," Stanley said.

"Thank you," Jojo said as he broke a grin.

They were about to take off jogging again, when something stopped them.

"There's my Stanley!" Shannon exclaimed as she latched onto the boy. "You should really feel honoured that I think you're the best looking guy here."

Noticing Calvin and Jojo she added, "Don't worry, you guys aren't bad either."

She then dragged Stanley aside and said, "So, here's what I figured we could do. We'd find some place alone out here in the woods and I'll let you—"

"Shannon, I'm going to have to stop you right there," Stanley said. "Truth is, you're pretty and all, but I like boys."

Silence filled the area for five seconds before Jojo cried out, "What? Ew!"

He immediately recoiled from Stanley.

"I'm sorry, Jojo, does that offend you?" Stanley said as he turned around to face the jock.

"I should have known you were too good to be true," Calvin said. "Oh well, I'm sure freakshow girl won't might having you in an alliance. But my policy is no losers. Like you."

"Fine, you just lost yourself a loyal ally," Stanley called after Jojo and Calvin as they departed.

"Nice work," Shannon said. "That cleared out the area fast. Now, how about you take that shirt off and we get comfortable?"

"Shannon, I was serious," Stanley said. "I'm gay."

"Oh…are you sure?" Shannon said having difficulty processing what he was saying.

"Goodbye, Shannon," Stanley said as he broke away from her.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**I expected this kind of reaction, really. This way I can tell who actually will make good allies, and I can cross three off my list.

**Shannon-**There should be a law against guys not liking girls. I mean, what is the point of having a perfect body if you can't bend men to your every whim? Oh well, Stanley may be out, but the other boys will be putty in my hands soon enough.

**Jojo-**Ick, a queer told me I have pretty eyes, I feel so dirty!

* * *

Ilona had gathered her own group together. So far she had teamed up with Jason and Briony.

"I noticed that the two of you were having difficulty keeping up with the others," Ilona said. "I want to make sure that you two don't have any trouble ending up on a team."

"Oh, I hear what you're saying," Jason accused. "The blind kid couldn't possibly get to his camp on his own. He needs someone who can see to be his guide dog."

"That's not what I'm saying at all," Ilona protested. "I just want to help. In my experience, I find that walking alone is never pleasant."

"Oh, you _want_ to help. Well did you ever think what I might want?" Jason snapped.

"Why do we even have to put up with him?" Briony complained. "If he doesn't want our help I say we let him wander through the woods on his own."

"Oh, so since I'm blind I'll just have to wander around with no direction, is that what you're saying?" Jason said as he jabbed a finger at what he thought was Briony. It was a tree.

"Well…you're not making the best case for yourself," Briony said.

"Enough!" Ilona exclaimed. "We're all going to travel together and we're going to get along. Teamwork is the only way to get through this game."

Neither Jason nor Briony seemed happy with the arrangement, but neither argued. Ilona reached out her hand to help Jason, but he immediately pulled away. Ilona was content to let him walk on his own, until he stumbled over a root.

"So, this is your game?" Jason snapped. "Let the blind guy just trip all over the place?"

"You said you didn't want help," Briony pointed out.

"Of course I want help, how else am I supposed to get through this forest?" Jason yelled. "Maybe for you with your precious vision can get through this forest, but you have you forgotten that I'm blind?"

"I don't know how I could, you remind me every five minutes," Briony pointed out.

"Hey, look, who's that?" Ilona said as she spotted a shadow nearby.

"I don't know, I can't see!" Jason complained. "You can't expect me to be identifying whatever you see. You're the one with working eyes, you do it!"

"Hey, blindy, here's a description of what's going on right now," Briony said with fury. "I am two seconds away from throttling you."

"Are you actually threatening to harm a blind boy?" Jason seethed.

"Guys, be quiet, I could have sworn I saw someone here," Ilona said.

Ilona had seen someone and she eventually spotted who it was.

"Hey, you with the mask, slow down," Ilona called.

The masked figure stopped and turned to face Ilona.

"Are you all alone?" Ilona asked.

The masked boy gave a steady nod.

"You should join us," Ilona said. "I want to make sure that no one is left alone."

The masked boy shook his head.

"Are you sure?" Ilona asked.

"Someone who can't talk would be welcome!" Briony exclaimed.

"No," the masked boy breathed before running back in through the shrubs.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jason-**That Briony girl has some serious problems. Does she not realize that I'm blind? I need special treatment; she can't act like I'm just like her. But she'd better not treat me like I'm less than her either!

**Ilona-**I've gone through a lot of hardships in life and I know that it's painful when you're alone. I wonder what the masked boy's story is?

* * *

Desdemona had to lift her dress so that it wouldn't drag in the dirt and brambles.

"Okay, not the most practically wardrobe," she muttered. "But it gets the job done."

After wandering on her own she heard someone approaching.

"Hey," Keith said as he walked up to her.

"Oh!" Desdemona exclaimed as she turned around. "I mean, oh, I was expecting you."

"Of course you were," Keith said. "Mind if we walk and talk?"

"Not at all," Desdemona said. "But don't expect me to divulge answers about your future. Only you can choose your path."

"That's nice," Keith said, "but I just wanted to have a friendly conversation. So, who do you think-or know-will win the contest?"

"I'm afraid I can't predict that," Desdemona said. "I see great strength in some of the contestants. That girl, Ilona, seems to have a strong soul."

"How do you think you will do?" Keith asked.

"Oh, now that I have seen," Desdemona sighed. "The visions are different, but I always see the image of me walking down that dock. It's a shame, but I just have to admit that I'm not going to win this game."

"I see," Keith said with a hint of deep thought.

"I'm just here to learn something new, meet new friends, and keep things interesting," Desdemona said.

"And what do you think about me?" Keith asked.

"Well, let me get a good look at your aura," Desdemona said as she closed her eyes.

"I think we're pretty similar," Keith said. "You can see into people's souls; I find that I can see through people if I look for the right hints."

Desdemona seemed to freeze slightly, then said, "Well, you're aura seems very complex. I foresee and multitude of choices for you to make in the future."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**There the threat of me winning is gone, the seer, Desdemona has declared that she will be eliminated. And that means that the real me, Donna, will have no target on my back. The only thing I'm worried about now is that Keith guy; he seems a little suspicious of me. But it's probably nothing.

**Keith-**I have an observant eye. I try to learn what I can from people. Desdemona seems interesting, but I think there's much more to her that remains to be seen.

* * *

Pamela stamped her way through the wilderness with fierce determination. She had hoped to avoid running into anyone, yet she still heard the sound of footsteps rushing to catch up with her.

"What." She sneered as Rusty hurried to her side.

"Hey," Rusty exclaimed, "I was thinking you and I—"

"No," Pamela denied.

"You didn't let me finish," Rusty complained.

"Anything that involves 'you and I' is out for me," Pamela declared as she continued her march.

"Now hang on, just hear me out," Rusty said as he grabbed onto her arm.

"Get your filthy paw off of me!" Pamela hissed.

"Not until you let me finish," Rusty said. "You see—Ow!"

Pamela had dug her nails into his arm and dragged them down to his hand.

"Okay, letting go now," Rusty conceded. "But seriously, we would be an awesome team. You obviously can't stand these chumps any more than me, wouldn't it be fun to make them miserable together?"

"Or I can just make you miserable," Pamela said as she dug her deal into Rusty's shin. "Yep, that's pretty satisfying."

"Okay, you've had your fun with me," Rusty said between clenched teeth. "Now who should we go after? The weirdo with the yellow dress? The blind guy? Oh, I know, the freak with the one pigtail."

Rusty felt something tap him on the back. He turned around to come face to face with Esme.

"Touch me and you die, Rusty Johnson," Esme breathed.

Rusty paled and backed up. He ended up colliding with Pamela.

"What now? You look like you've seen a ghost," Pamela complained.

"Well, she sure looks like a ghost," Rusty said.

"Who are you talking about?" Pamela asked.

"The freak with the pigtail," Rusty said, yet where he was pointing was empty. "Okay, that's weird."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**I just get a high from messing with people, and I plan to go through this entire show like that. But that Esme girl will have to go soon, she's starting to mess with _my_ head.

**Pamela-**Everyone here are nothing but selfish, greedy, pigs who plan on backstabbing each other to get more money. It sickens me, but I'll make them all wish they'd never signed up.

* * *

Stanley was walking alone now. Shannon hadn't bothered to keep following him, and Calvin and Jojo had made it clear that they didn't want anything to do with him. However his ears perked up when he heard a voice.

"Thank you, fair tree spirit, your advice is much needed," a female voice said to herself.

Stanley peaked over and saw Sasha talking to a large willow tree.

"Um…Sasha, is it?" he said.

"Ah, Sir Stanley, how nice to see you," Sasha exclaimed. "The Spirit of the Willow was just telling me that our castle awaits us in the mountains due north."

"Really? The tree said that?" Stanley asked.

"Don't be foolish," Sasha laughed. "Trees can't talk; it was the spirit that lives in the tree. Say, where are your companions? It is not a good idea to wander enchanted woods alone."

"Well they left me because they didn't want a gay boy on their team," Stanley said.

"Don't tell me, it was Sir Calvin, wasn't it?" Sasha exclaimed.

"You got it," Stanley declared.

"I knew it the minute I laid my eyes on him," Sasha hissed. "He has darkness growing deep within his heart. Come, Sir Stanley, together you and I shall prove that he cannot simply push us aside."

"Sounds like fun," Stanley said with a smile as he and Sasha took off deeper into the forest.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sasha-**Take note, good scribe, Lady Sasha has found her first ally. United we shall prove to the wretched Sir Calvin, that the ones he calls 'freaks' cannot be broken easily.

* * *

"Hello, there's a sexy lady who needs a man," Shannon called as she sat on a rock. "Just come on by and I'll let you do whatever you want."

She continued to wait on the rock until eventually she saw someone emerge from the forest. It was Elijah.

"Hey there, handsome," Shannon purred. "Today's your lucky day."

"Nope, today's your lucky day," Elijah said. "I'm going to make you mine."

"Please do," Shannon breathed as she slinked in close to Elijah. "I would love to be with a nice strong man like you."

"Seriously, simple as that?" Elijah said with surprise.

"That's right," Shannon said. "I know you want me, and I don't like to play games. So what do you say we get cozy under this tree?"

"Whoa, whoa, you don't want to take it slow, or get to know me, or any of that crap?" Elijah said with surprise. "I think I've found my dream girl."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Shannon-**I knew that these boys wouldn't be able to resist me. Now I'll get Elijah under my spell and he'll do anything for me. After that, just eight more straight boys to take on.

* * *

"Hasn't this been an exciting start?" Chris said back on the dock. "Have you picked your favorite yet? Who do you think will be winning? Who's going to get themselves eliminated on the first night? Well, we've got more coming up and…Riley, are you still here?"

Sure enough, Riley was just beginning to stretch and get up from his nap.

"What'd I miss?" Riley asked through a yawn.

"There's a challenge going on for one thing" Chris said. "I'd get on that if I were you."

"Okay, okay, just give me a couple of minute to stretch out," Riley said.

"No, now!" Chris ordered. "Or I'm eliminating you immediately."

"Alright, fine, I'm going," Riley said as he got up and ran.

He didn't get far before collapsing against a tree and wheezing.

Chris shook his head before saying, "So tune in to see the end of this electrifying debut of Total…Drama…Stranded!"

_Another Author's Note: So there you have it, the first chapter. Please review and let me know who you like and who you don't. I'll try to have the second part up soon._


	2. New and Improved: Part 2

Chris adjusted his shirt before turning his focus back on the camera.

"Welcome back," he greeted. "Last time we introduced twenty new teens ready to compete for one million dollars. And to a lesser extent the runner up prize of one hundred thousand dollars. We saw big personalities step out onto the dock; like Desdemona, the fortune teller, who's really Donna, the ordinary girl. Some campers like Rusty and Pamela found that their negative personalities made them enemies fast. Others like Chelsea, Garfield, and Matilda got along swimmingly; Misha pretended to like them, but in reality she couldn't stand them. Stanley and Sasha were rejected by Calvin's 'No Freaks, No Losers,' policy, but vowed to align and take down Calvin with their own alliance. Today we'll see teams formed, as well as the first elimination of the season. So sit back and enjoy!"

* * *

**Theme Song:**

(The camera zooms around the island, showing a forest, a mountain, and a river. It then focuses in on the dock.)

_Dear Mom and Dad I'm doing fine._

(Matilda walks up the dock.)

_You guys are on my mind._

(Elijah pulls up next to her and smiles, she smiles back.)

_You asked me what I wanted to be,_

(Shannon grabs Elijah and pulls him into her chest. He shoves her away.)

_And now I think the answer is plain to see._

(The camera moves to the forest where Ilona and Jojo are racing.)

_I wanna be famous._

(Calvin slides by and trips Ilona, then laughs at her. Ilona gets up angrily and begins chasing after Calvin.)

_I wanna live close to the sun._

(The camera shows a waterfall where the masked boy is climbing up.)

_Go pack your bags cause I've already won._

(At the peak of the waterfall, Rusty in aiming a slingshot at an oblivious Briony. He fires.)

_Everything to prove, nothing in my way._

(It turns out he actually hit Misha. Misha ragefully throws the rock and hits Rusty right in the forehead.)

_I'll get there one day._

(Sasha is seen dragging a sleeping Riley to a poorly built shelter.)

'_Cause I wanna be famous._

(Jason, Pamela, and Garfield are all eating disgusting food. Pamela shoves Jason to the ground and Garfield tries to help him up, but Jason just pushes him aside.)

_Na na na na na na na na na!_

(As the sun sets Desdemona is performing various tricks. Esme appears behind her and the fright causes Desdemona to spill all of her cards.)

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous._

(Chelsea steals the camera and begins performing a cheer dance.)

_I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous._

(The camera goes up into the sky then back down to show Stanley getting comfy under a tree. As the whistling tune plays, Keith tumbles out of the tree and into Stanley's lap. Both smile at each other.)

* * *

"I don't mean to be a downer, but I don't think we're getting anywhere," Misha told her group as they continued to weave their way through trees and shrubs.

"Yeah, I totally get what you're saying," Matilda agreed. "Like, this calls for a thinking break."

As soon as she had spoken she sat down under a tree.

"Good idea, Matilda," Garfield said. "We could all use some time to rest and get an idea of where we're going."

"Yeah, and get to know each other a little," Chelsea added as she sat down too.

"Oh yeah," Matilda said. "So Chelsea, you're a cheerleader, right?"

"Don't believe me?" Chelsea said with a sly grin. "Matilda, Matilda, here's a show; a cheer to lift all spirit, don't you know!"

"Oh yeah, I believe you," Matilda laughed.

"I can keep going," Chelsea said.

"That's great," Misha said, "but can we talk about where we're going?"

"Oh, that's okay Misha," Garfield said. "I know you're little legs are probably tired."

"Not they're not," Misha said having difficulty not growling.

"Well, just rest up," Garfield insisted. "I don't want to have to carrying you on my shoulders."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**I am a trained gymnast. I've gone through exercises that would leave them exhausted. I don't want a rest, I want to get to the camp. But if I tell them that, then suddenly I'm not a sweet little girl, I'm a major threat. Damn, this is going to be hard.

* * *

Elijah and Shannon rolled together with their lips locked, they hadn't left the same spot since they had met there. Elijah finally broke the two apart.

"We should probably keep moving," Elijah said.

"Aw, but I have so much fun with you," Shannon giggled. "And there's so much more we could do."

"As much as I'd love to, there is still a challenge to complete," Elijah pointed out. "After we get to camp, though, I'm all yours."

"Okay, you're right," Shannon agreed. "But I don't know if my delicate feet can make it through this rough ground. So, would you mind carrying me?"

"Carrying you?" Elijah repeated with reluctance.

"You're a big strong man," Shannon said as traced her fingers along his shoulders. "I know you can do it."

"Um, okay," Elijah said uneasily as he scooped Shannon up.

With a steady pace he struggled to hold up Shannon and make his way through the forest.

"Careful, not so rocky," Shannon complained.

"I'm sorry, this isn't exactly easy," Elijah said.

"Well, I'll just have to get more comfortable," Shannon said as she wrapped her arms around Elijah's neck, and pulled herself in even closer.

"Um, could you not do that," Elijah said. "It's making it incredibly hard to walk."

"Aw, don't you like this position," Shannon cooed as she moved her chest directly beneath his face.

"I'm trying to see where I'm going," Elijah pointed out.

Just as he spoke he slammed right into a tree. Or he slammed Shannon into a tree.

"Ow, that hurt!" Shannon exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, maybe you should just walk," Elijah suggested.

"Okay, but first I'll need you to massage my feet," Shannon said.

Elijah looked up at the sky then back at Shannon.

"Look, it's going to be getting dark pretty soon," he said. "And if we keep up at this rate, we'll be stuck out here in the forest at night, and I don't want that."

"Well, I don't see you expect a delicate lady like myself to survive with a proper foot massage first," Shannon said.

"How about wear shoes!" Elijah shouted. "Or some clothes, I mean, you're hot, yes, but don't you think that it might be a bad idea to wear nothing but a bra?"

"Aw, if it'll cheer you up, I'll let you touch another part of me after you finish my massage," Shannon said.

"No!" Elijah declared as he stamped his foot. "I am not your slave!"

With that Elijah stormed off.

"Oh, you'll be back," Shannon called. "You can't resist me. I know you want me!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Shannon-**I don't get it. I had Elijah perfectly in my grasp, what did I do wrong? And what did he mean by "I am not your slave?" He's totally my slave.

**Elijah-**I spend a lot of time chasing hot girls, but no matter how sexy Shannon is, nothing would make her bearable. I want a girl to love, not work for.

* * *

Ilona led Briony and Jason through the wild forest.

"Tell me if you see any signs," Ilona said. "A mountain or a river should be hard to miss."

"How am I supposed to look for these things?" Jason complained. "I can't see!"

"Fine, you can help by listening for rushing water," Ilona sighed as she rubbed her temples.

"Oh, so you just assume that all blind people have super hearing?" Jason accused. "Being blind isn't like some super power, but I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand that."

"Well, do you want to help or not?" Ilona said as she grinded he teeth together.

"Why should I be doing any work?" Jason asked. "I'm the one with the special disability, you should be helping me."

"Okay, you need to get something straight," Briony growled. "You can either have people treat you as equal, or help you step by step. Which is it going to be?"

"You can't tell me what to do," Jason sneered.

"Okay, fine, I think I see a mountain in that direction," Ilona said.

After walking for a bit, Briony came in close to Ilona and said, "I don't see anything."

"I know," Ilona whispered. "I just wanted to keep moving. And it's not like Jason will know any better."

"I can hear you," Jason said.

"Are you sure you don't have super hearing?" Briony snorted.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Briony-**I've been measuring the odds of any of us winning. Ilona has a good shot, she's strong and a leader. Jason's shot is probably in the negatives. It's not so much his blindness than his attitude about it.

* * *

Desdemona was getting increasingly uncomfortable as Keith talked with her.

"So, when did you first discover your gift?" Keith asked.

"It's something that I didn't have to discovered," Desdemona answered. "It's something I was born with."

"So you were predicting the future since you were a baby?" Keith asked.

"…Yes," Desdemona answered. "Of course, back then I didn't realize what the visions were. But looking back, I'm certain that I've always been getting glimpses of what is to come."

"I see," Keith replied.

"Let's talk about you now," Desdemona said hastily. "What are your ambitions?"

"I've always wanted to be a journalist," Keith answered. "I just have an eye for details."

"Ah, yes, the eye," Desdemona replied with a mysterious voice. "I saw the eye in your soul, and yet I could not decipher its meaning."

"So, do you think I have a chance at this game?" Keith asked.

"It's hard to say," Desdemona answered. "Right now the paths are still foggy, but they will come into clarity soon. However, your eye will help you if you learn how to use it."

"That's good," Keith said with a nod.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I'm worried about Keith. He's too smart for me; if I want this charade to last, I'm going to have to make sure we're on separate teams.

**Keith-**Desdemona seems like a good target for me. Once I learn her secrets, I can either align with her, or get her eliminated.

* * *

"Listen I think I hear someone coming," Rusty said to Pamela as he pointed in the direction of the sound.

"Then we'd better keep moving," Pamela said. "The last thing I want is to run into any more people."

"But this is the perfect opportunity to spread a little pain," Rusty said as he pulled out a slingshot.

"Oh, what are you going to do, bombard them with pebbles?" Pamela scoffed.

"Look over there," Rusty said with a sly grin as he pointed up.

Pamela realized that not too far away there was a lively hornets' nest in the trees.

"This plan suddenly got interesting," Pamela said as a matching grin appeared across her face.

"Here, they come, let's get into position," Rusty said as he hid behind some shrubs.

His target turned out to be Misha, followed by the rest of her group.

"We can't be too far," Misha said. "I'm certain I saw signs of a river ahead."

"Ready, aim," Rusty whispered to himself. "Fire!"

He shot off a rock which slammed right into the swarming nest. In a sudden flash, furious hornets were bombarding the group.

"Ack, we have to get out of here!" Chelsea screamed as she turned to run.

Misha, however, kept running through the enraged swarm.

"Misha, this way!" Garfield called.

"You guys run!" she cried. "I'll be okay!"

Garfield clearly didn't want to abandon Misha, but the angry insects changed his mind. Misha, on the other hand, had no trouble snaking her way to safety.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**I really should thank whoever fired that rock. They finally gave me a chance to get away from those morons.

* * *

Elijah had broken into a run by now. He did not want to end up lost and alone in the woods, but he especially did not want to end up lost and with Shannon in the woods.

"Oh, Ellie, where'd you go!" came Shannon's singsong voice.

Elijah shuddered as he picked up the pace. However, he ended up stumbling over a rock and allowing Shannon to catch up.

"There you are," Shannon giggled. "Now, I don't think you realize how lucky you are. There are eight other guys here who would just love to have me, so I'm doing you a favor by giving you another chance."

"There's nothing I'd love more than spend some time with someone like you," Elijah said. "But would it kill you to just focus on the task at hand? I really don't want to end up eliminated on day one."

"Oh, but my legs are so sore from catching up with you," Shannon said. "I just need a little of your love."

As she spoke she made sure to swing her hips towards Elijah.

"And could you stop that?" Elijah said. "I get it, you have a nice body, you don't need to rub it in my face every five minutes."

"Aw, but you like it," Shannon giggled.

"No, I don't," Elijah replied.

"Yes, you," Shannon argued.

"Do not," Elijah said. "Maybe I would the first time, but you've kind of ruined any chance of me liking you."

"But," Shannon began.

"Goodbye, Shannon, for real this time," Elijah said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**I have a list of things I look for in a girl. Shannon just wrecked that entire list; I never thought I'd have to take into consideration a girl's personality.

* * *

"How dare you leave me behind!" Jason yelled as he caught up with his team. "Did you think that because I was blind, I wouldn't notice if you just left me."

"It was a complete accident," Ilona insisted. "You just fell behind and I didn't realize until now."

"And whose fault is that?" Jason sneered. "You can't blame me, it's not my fault I'm blind. You should have been making sure I didn't get lost."

"That is it, that does it!" Briony exclaimed. "I don't care if I have to go alone, I am not spending one more minute with this guy."

With that Briony marched off angrily.

"Well, good riddance," Jason declared. "Nobody wanted her anyways."

He then turned to face the opposite direction.

"Make your choice, Ilona," Briony called.

"You're not going to abandon me for her," Jason declared. "I'm blind, you can't just leave me alone in the woods."

Ilona took a breath, before grabbing Jason's shoulder.

"Listen, you," she growled. "I believe in teamwork and sticking together. You seem to be intent on pushing people away. No matter how many times I try to help you, you have to make things difficult. So here's what's going to happen: I am going with Briony, and I'm not going to help you anymore. If you think you can learn some respect, feel free to follow me."

With that Ilona released Jason and dashed after Briony.

"You can't do that!" Jason shrieked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**While I try to keep unity, that doesn't mean that I'm going to carry people who won't work. If Jason can't work in a team, then he'll just find himself isolated and eliminated.

* * *

"Look, there it is, the mountain!" Jojo exclaimed as he and Calvin arrived at the base of a mountain. "We made it!"

"Not quite," Calvin said. "Chris said that the camp was on the mountain. Looks like we're going to have to do a little climbing."

The two boys searched around the rocky wall for the best place to climb. They eventually found a crevice that had several good holds.

"I don't see anyone in sight," Calvin declared as he started to pull himself up. "I guess that makes us the champions of this challenge."

"It's a good sign," Jojo agreed. "We're going to be champions of this entire game."

However, soon enough, they spotted someone else arriving at the base of the mountain.

"Aha, there be the scoundrels!" Sasha exclaimed. "Try as you might, this mountain shall be conquered under Lady Sasha!"

"I'm here too," Stanley added.

"Yes, and my trusty squire, Stanley," Sasha said.

"I'm just a squire now?" Stanley asked.

"You shall make a good knight some day," Sasha said. "But for now we've got a mountain to claim and some rascals to race."

"Sounds good to me," Stanley agreed as he started to pull himself up the rocks.

"You'll never catch up with us," Calvin sneered as he continued to climb faster.

Sasha, however, was making good progress as she leapt up and clambered up the mountain.

"She's gaining on us," Jojo exclaimed.

"Not for long," Calvin said as he kicked some rocks down on Sasha.

Sasha cringed as her face was pelted with stones.

"Oh, so it's dirty play you want, is it?" Sasha exclaimed.

She quickly scooped up some dirty from a crack and tossed it into the air.

"That stuff doesn't hurt," Calvin laughed.

Even if it didn't hurt, his eyes started to water and he began coughing. Stanley meanwhile had taken a different route and was closing in on the two boys. Jojo realized that he was fast approaching him tried to kick loose some rocks from underneath him. This proved to be a bad idea, however, as he lost his footing a collided right into Stanley. The two boys landed on a rocky ledge, with Jojo on top of Stanley.

"Well, I could get used to this position," Stanley laughed once he had recovered.

"Ew!" Jojo exclaimed and immediately started to climb again.

"Victory today goes to Lady Sasha!" Sasha exclaimed as she started to pull herself over the next large ledge.

"Guess again," Calvin challenged as he also pulled himself up.

Both of them arrived at a large clearing that dipped into the mountain.

"First!" both of them cheered.

"We shall call it a draw for the day," Sasha said as she narrowed her eyes.

"Whatever makes you feel better," Calvin replied, "but we both know that I was here first."

Not too much longer Jojo and Stanley also arrived at the clearing.

"We have our first team starting to form," Chris announced from his helicopter vantage point. "And may I remind you guys that you _are_ a team."

"In name only," Calvin snorted.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Well, we've got too free boots in case this team ever loses.

**Stanley-**I think I'm going to have fun with those two.

* * *

Chelsea, Matilda, and Garfield were all still running in terror for the angry hornets.

"I think…we lost…them," Matilda said through heavy breaths as she leaned against a tree.

"But we lost Misha too," Garfield pointed out.

"Poor girl, I hope she's okay," Chelsea sighed.

"And did you guys, like, realize that someone completely shot a rock at the nest on purpose?" Matilda added. "I mean, like, who would do something like that to people as styling as us?"

"I don't know, but if they end up on my team, I'll have them off the island in a heartbeat," Chelsea declared.

"Say…do you guys hear running water?" Garfield asked.

Both girls paused to listen.

"I think I do," Chelsea said. "It's coming from that way."

The three eagerly followed the sound until they came to a river that was coursing rapidly through the woods.

"We found it!" Matilda cheered.

"But this doesn't look like a good campsite," Garfield pointed out. "We might have to follow the river a little further."

They agreed and began to walk along the side of the river. Eventually they spotted someone. It was the masked boy. A series of stones and logs made a path across the river, he was standing right into the middle of the path.

"Hey, wait up!" Chelsea called as she waved at him. "We can all team up."

The masked boy remained silent as he examined them, then he turned and made his way to the other side of the river.

"Well, someone's rude," Matilda commented. "He's not going to be topping any hotness lists soon. Dark and brooding was soooo last year."

"Well, I think he does have the right idea," Garfield said. "Looks like we're going to have to cross this river."

"No problem," Matilda said as she took a step onto the nearest stone.

Immediately she slipped and tumbled backwards.

"Okay, maybe it'll take a little more work," she said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I wonder what that masked guy is hiding. Maybe he's a robot…or an alien…or a really ugly kid.

* * *

Desdemona and Keith arrived at another side of the mountain.

"Looks like we're at the right spot," Keith declared. "Nowhere to go but up."

Desdemona nodded as she tried to roll up her dress. Keith found a good spot to start climbing and Desdemona followed behind him.

"So, do you think that we're the first ones here?" Keith asked.

"Most likely," Desdemona answered.

"Hey, look, here come some more," Jojo announced from the top.

"Most likely not…was what I was trying to say," Desdemona corrected herself.

Keith and Desdemona were nearly at the campsite now. Jojo offered a hand to Keith, but Calvin spotted Desdemona.

"Sorry, we've already got too many freaks on this team," Calvin said to her.

"Hey, you can't treat her like that," Keith scolded Calvin.

"Oh no, it's fine, it's fine," Desdemona said eagerly as she climbed back down. "Desdemona doesn't go anywhere she's not wanted…oh, and Calvin, I see grave danger in your future."

"I'm shaking in terror," Calvin said sarcastically.

"Desdemona, you don't have to go," Keith called after.

"No, no, I can't fight fate," Desdemona responded as she landed on the ground. "I was always destined to end up on the other team. Well, so long, it was nice meeting you."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Boy, I am lucky. I got to ditch Keith, and I didn't get on the team with that major jerk, Calvin. Score two for Desdemona!

* * *

The masked boy had crossed the river easily and now he was making his way through the forest on the other end. The trees soon started to thin out. It didn't take long for the boy to find a clearing right next to the largest part of the river.

"First!" he cheered.

"Took you long enough," a voice said behind.

"What?" he exclaimed as he turned around to see Esme. "How long have you been here?"

"Longer than you," Esme replied.

"And the second team is starting to form as well," Chris announced. "So far we've got Esme and…that guy with the mask."

Before the masked boy could settle down he hear a piercing scream.

"What was that?" he exclaimed.

Esme slowly turned to him and answered, "Two girls and a boy are trying to cross the river. One failed."

"How did you…never mind," the masked boy said as he turned to investigate what had happened.

He retraced his steps until he was back at the path between the river and the land. Chelsea was struggling to keep her balance, but Matilda had already fallen into the water.

"Somebody, like, help me!" she cried as the water swept her away.

Garfield dived into the water and swam after her.

"Quick!" Matilda cried as she sank beneath the water.

"I'm coming!" Garfield exclaimed as he dived after her.

The air felt tense as both of them were submerged. Then Garfield burst out of the water with Matilda in his arms. He pulled himself to a rock and from there Chelsea was able to help them up.

"Now that definitely earns you some points with me," Matilda exclaimed as Garfield carried her to the other side. "Let's see, you can swim, you saved me, and you look pretty nice in wet clothes. When the media gets a hold of this you might even make thirty fourth hottest celebrity in Canada!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Garfield is really something. If I had to pick a winner right now, I'd say he's the best bet.

* * *

"So, now that the loudmouth is gone, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" Briony asked Ilona.

"Very well," Ilona replied. "I've been going through a tough time in life. I spent a lot of time without a home or money. I'm doing okay now, but I'm really hoping that this show will turn things around for me."

"Yes, I see," Briony said as she scribbled in a notebook.

"Um…are you taking notes on me?" Ilona asked.

"Oh don't worry, I'm just trying to figure what I'm up against," Briony said. "So, how are you physically?"

"I'd like to think that I'm physically capable," Ilona answered. "I've done a lot of training in martial arts."

"Ah, yes, yes, that's a plus," Briony said as she continued to write notes.

"Oh, look, I think we're here," Ilona announced as they arrived at the base of the mountain.

Briony eyed the climb and didn't look too happy.

"This isn't going to be easy," she muttered.

"Well, you didn't expect your stay here to be easy, did you?" Ilona asked. "Now come on, I'll help you."

Ilona had no problem making her way up the climb, but Briony struggled at even getting started.

"Here, take my hand," Ilona offered. "We'll just take it one step at a time."

Slowly they progressed up the mountain. When they were near the top, Jojo and Calvin realized that they were there.

"Great, all we're missing is a nerd," Calvin scoffed. "Why don't you make things easy like that gypsy girl and just get out of here while you have the chance."

"Um, excuse me, but we could be valuable teammates," Ilona growled.

"Oh, I wasn't referring to you," Calvin said. "You look strong, but your companion, not so much."

"I'll have you know that I can be just as valuable an asset to this team as anyone," Briony declared.

"Sure, you can," Calvin scoffed. "Jojo, throw that rock at her."

Jojo lifted a large rock, but stopped when Ilona glared at him.

"You drop that rock and you are dead," Ilona threatened.

Jojo seemed uncertain.

"Do it," Calvin ordered.

But it was too late. Ilona had managed to get Briony all the way to the top.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Briony-**I may not be a physical threat, but I've got something much more important: a brain. I'm going to outsmart everyone in this game. Then we'll see who's laughing, Calvin!

* * *

Chelsea, Garfield, and Matilda all arrived at the riverside camp. Garfield and Matilda were both soaking wet.

"Oh, I can't believe this, my makeup is going to be sooo ruined," Matilda sighed.

"Don't worry," Garfield consoled. "You look fine. Let's go sit in the sun for a—"

"Oh, wait, I completely forgot," Matilda laughed, "I bought the brand new waterproof makeup."

Chelsea meanwhile had gone over to see who else was on the team.

"So, looks like we're teammates now," she said to Esme and the masked boy.

"Yes," the masked boy answered bluntly.

"Be careful," Esme said. "In this game, your teammates are the most likely to be your enemies. Trust no one."

"Well, isn't this is friendly team," Chelsea sighed.

She turned away to return to her friends, but stop when she heard some rustling in the bushes.

"Oh good, maybe there's someone I can actually have a conversation with," she muttered.

To her disappointment, Rusty and Pamela emerged from the bushes.

"Ah, cheerleader, good to see you," Rusty greeted.

"You to," Chelsea said but clearly didn't mean it. "Say, did anything happen to you on your way here?"

"Not that I can think of," Rusty answered. "Why?"

"Oh, just because some mega jerk shot a rock at a hornets' nest next to us," Chelsea said with an accusing tone. "And I immediately thought of you."

"Really?" Rusty feigned shock. "What about the creep with the big eyes and silver hair? She seems demented enough to do something like that."

"I've got my eye on you," Chelsea declared.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I'm going to try to stay positive, but I got a pretty nasty team so far.

* * *

Riley was having difficulty making any progress at all. With each couple of steps he took, he would have to pause for breath immediately afterwards.

"Stupid show, why did mom make me sign up for this?" he complained as he struggled to keep moving.

"Hey, you, stop!" someone ordered.

Riley turned to see Jason approaching him.

"I've been left in this forest all alone by some idiots who don't understand my affliction!" Jason explained. "So, you're going to have to take me with you now."

"O…kay," Riley answered.

The two walked together, and Jason continued to rant.

"I really can't believe the nerve of some people," he said. "I mean, I made it very clear that I need a helping hand; I'm blind! But did she care? No!"

"Uh-huh," Riley droned. "Uh-huh."

Riley continued to pretend to be interested while he found it harder and harder to keep his eyelids open.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**Mom said I didn't do enough, and I should get a great experience while I'm still young. I could have had a way better experience watching TV at home that going on this show.

* * *

Misha had found herself alone now, but she didn't mind. She kept a brisk pace as she explored the forest. Her solitude, didn't last though. Eventually she found someone coming rushing towards her.

"Oh thank god, I found someone!" Elijah cried. "You wouldn't believe what I've been through, there's this really hot girl, but she's psycho and annoying, and we kissed and stuff, but then she started bossing me around, and I got upset, and she wouldn't stop shaking her ass…"

"Are you okay?" Misha asked.

"I am now that I've found a normal person," Elijah answered as he composed himself.

"I wish I could say the same," Misha muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Elijah asked.

"I said, I'm thrilled to meet you," Misha lied. "Now let's go find that camp, it can't be too far."

True to her word, Misha and Elijah arrived at the mountain not too much longer.

"Looks like we'll have to climb," Elijah said. "Do you need a hand."

"No, I'm fine," Misha answered.

"Alright, but all you have to do is ask," Elijah said.

The two scaled the mountain. Elijah took the lead, but Misha had no trouble keeping up. They reached the top with ease.

"Finally some normal people," Calvin exclaimed as they arrived.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Elijah said.

"Oh, Ellie, I'm coming for you!" Shannon called from the ground.

"Oh god, she's here!" Elijah exclaimed.

"Is she really that bad?" Jojo asked as he looked down at Shannon climbing up the mountain.

"I should have known, you were the kind of boy who wanted to see me get dirty," Shannon exclaimed. "Well, look at me now, I'm covered in sweat and filth. Look at me, damn it!"

"I'm caught somewhere between aroused and scared," Jojo said.

"That's the first phase," Elijah explained. "That'll pass in about…two minutes."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Acting sweet and innocent is a double edged sword. People don't see me as a threat, but people also assume that I can't do anything on my own. And that's not the kind of person people want to keep on a team.

**Jojo-**That Shannon girl is pretty hot, but if what Elijah says is true, she'll turn sour pretty fast. I know the type, it's best to steer clear of them.

* * *

"The teams are finishing up," Chris announced. "The first team has an even ten, while the second team is still in need of a few more members."

It took a bit of time, but Riley and Jason both arrived at the camp looking exhausted. Well, Jason looked exhausted, Riley looked how he always looked.

"Great, you're here!" Chelsea greeted. "Now we're just missing one more."

Suddenly the campsite filled with purple smoke. Everyone began coughing as it filled the area.

"Desdemona has arrived," Desdemona announced as she stepped onto the site.

"This nice…but could you stop doing that?" Garfield asked between coughs.

"Excellent, the teams are complete," Chris announced. "And both with a perfect balance of five girls and five boys on each team. What are the odds?"

"Actually," Briony answered, "the odds are exactly—"

"That was a rhetorical question," Chris interrupted. "Anyways, all good teams need awesome names. Team one, from now on you shall be the Monster Mountains."

A silver icon appeared next to the team. It had the picture of a mountain with a gaping mouth on it.

"And team two," Chris said, "shall be known as the Raging Rivers."

A blue icon appeared by the second team. It had a river with fist coming out on it.

"Now, it's going to be dark soon," Chris explained. "Which means it's going to be getting pretty chilly. So, I suggest you get to work on your shelters."

"That's it?" Chelsea exclaimed. "You're not giving us supplies, or anything?"

"Nope, you're supposed to be stranded," Chris said. "Technically, I shouldn't even be giving you directions. Now get to work."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Garfield-**I'm used to the finer things in life, but this'll be a good experience for me. I want the chance to feel how the majority of the population live.

**Ilona-**I've had to live the streets of the city. This should be no problem.

**Matilda-**Well, let's see, most magazines will agree that like, wild style is very in, but on the other hand, I don't they'd approve of making a shelter out of just, like, sticks and things.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Alright, I've got some wood," Jojo announced after returning for a quick search. "We should be able to make a sturdy fort out of this."

"Good, good," Calvin said. "Let's set up over here."

"Need me to do anything?" Elijah asked.

"Sure, you can clear away some of those rocks," Calvin suggested.

"May I just point something out?" Briony said. "Those sticks are all uneven. If you want to make sure the fort fits together nicely you should file down some of them until they're all the same size."

"I'm sorry, but this fort is only for cool kids," Calvin sneered. "We need you to tell us what to do."

"Um, excuse me, but I'm trying to help you," Briony scoffed.

"Well, stop," Calvin said.

Briony fumed as she turned away from them.

"Just forget them," Ilona said to her. "I've got a shelter going that'll be for the entire team."

Stanley, Sasha, and Misha were all working together hammering the stakes into the ground.

"Glad to know that someone respects me," Briony exclaimed. "Now, if I were you'd I'd make that row a little longer. That way the entire shelter will be a perfect square."

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Nice work guys," Chelsea praised as her team worked together setting up the shelter.

"I was a little uncertain about this," Matilda said, "but this shelter is so totally hot right now."

"It's just too bad the others aren't helping," Chelsea sighed. "Riley is just lying under that tree, Jason is refusing to do any work since he's blind, I haven't seen Rusty or Pamela—"

"Not that that's a bad thing," Matilda added.

"True," Chelsea smiled. "And I thought I saw Esme—"

"I'm right here," Esme answered from the other side of the shelter. "This wall is complete. But no wall will protect you from the cold you bring upon yourself."

"…But the walls done?" Chelsea said. "Good job."

"Here comes the roof," Desdemona announced as she and the masked boy lowered a top to the shelter.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Well, I guess my team isn't all bad. I've made some friends, and that should make up for the lack of productivity from the other guys.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The sun was beginning to set by now and both shelters were coming along. Shannon, however, was not working on either shelter. She instead of sunbathing in the remaining sunlight.

"Hello, I need a nice guy to rub some lotion on me!" she called. "I know _some _people can respect a nice body when they see one."

No one came, but she did notice Jojo walking past with a pile of wood in his arms.

"Oh, Jojo, be a dear and help me out," Shannon said as she traced her finger along her chest. "Maybe I'll help you out in my own way too."

"Um…" Jojo was at a loss for words.

Ilona was ready to take action though. She grabbed the bottle of lotion out of Shannon's hand and sprayed it in her face.

"Get to work!" she ordered. "I don't care what side you pick, I will not have people sitting around when there's work to be done on my team."

"Jojo, make her stop," Shannon said as her lip quivered.

"Actually, I think I'm with her on this one," Jojo said. "You should probably actually do some work."

"Aw, you don't mean that," Shannon said as placed her arm around Jojo's neck.

"Yeah, I do, please let go of me," Jojo argued.

"Fine, be that way," Shannon sneered. "I'll bet there's some guy who'll know how much I'm worth."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**Yep, Elijah was right. It didn't take long for Shannon to get on my nerves. She's all, 'I'm so sexy, I don't have to work.' Sorry, that's not how things work on a team.

**Shannon-**What is wrong with every guy out here? If they were normal, one look at me and they'd do whatever I said.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Where are you going now?" Pamela asked as Rusty continued to trek through the wilderness.

"Isn't it obvious?" Rusty said. "I'm looking for the immunity idol."

"That's stupid," Pamela scoffed. "We don't even know there is one."

"Oh, of course there's one," Rusty declared. "And why are you following me?"

"I'm not following you, I just wanted to get away from those losers," Pamela said. "And besides, you're easy to torment."

"I beg to differ," Rusty scoffed. "You'll find that I am impervious to anything you can throw at me."

"There's the idol!" Pamela exclaimed.

"Where?" Rusty cried.

"Oh, wait, never mind," Pamela said with a smirk.

"Oh, ha ha, very funny," Rusty scoffed again.

"Oh, there it is for real!" Pamela exclaimed.

"Where?" Rusty jumped back into action.

"Oh…nope," Pamela cackled.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"I think we might have to start over," Briony told her group.

"Ugh, why?" Stanley moaned.

"Well, this side seems to be on a slant," Briony explained. "If there were an earthquake, it could slide loose."

"I don't think this shelter will be surviving any earthquakes," Stanley pointed out. "With or without a slant."

"Say, Briony, I've got a job for you," Ilona said. "I need you to go find Keith. He wandered off into those woods, but he hasn't come back and he needs to do his share of work."

"Fine, fine," Briony said as she headed off into the trees.

She had to wander through the forest for a bit, but eventually found Keith sitting in a tree.

"Amazing isn't it?" Keith muttered. "We've got this whole forest right here on the mountain. It's beautiful."

"I'm sure it is," Briony said. "But Ilona wants you to get to work on the shelter."

"Oh, I'm not going to be staying in the shelter," Keith explained. "I prefer to be alone, and this forest seems like a nice enough place for me to spend my time."

"Okay, whatever," Briony said as she left him and returned to the camp.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I like to get some time to myself. The tranquility helps me think clearly and plan out my next move. With Desdemona on the other team, I'll have to find someone else to work on.

* * *

(Nightfall)

"Great work, teams," Chris announced from the helicopter. "Both of you will have a place to sleep tonight."

"So, who won?" Calvin asked.

"Oh this isn't a challenge with winners or losers," Chris explained.

"So, there'll be no elimination tonight?" Calvin asked.

"Nope, both teams are going to elimination tonight!" Chris exclaimed. "I'll give up an hour to make your pick and meet me back at the dock."

The entire cast groaned, either at the thought of elimination, or having to walk all the way back to the dock.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**A double elimination? Well, I think I'm safe, but who should I vote for?

**Calvin-**Time to start taking out these losers.

**Ilona-**I'm going to be making sure that we lose those that aren't working with the team.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Alright team, let's get together and discuss who we want to see leave tonight," Ilona said as she gathered those who had helped her.

Misha, Sasha, Stanley, and Briony all grouped together under their shelter.

"I respect all of you as hardworking teammates and I think we should all discuss this together," Ilona said.

Meanwhile, Calvin was grouping together his alliance in his shelter.

"So, which one of these losers is going home first?" Calvin asked.

"How about Stanley?" Jojo shuddered. "I don't want him looking at me like that."

"How about Ilona?" Shannon said as she joined the boys.

"Uh, Shannon, did I say you could join this alliance?" Calvin sneered.

"Well, I'm going to need somewhere to sleep, and what's better than between three hot boys," she giggled. "But serious, that Ilona is mean. I want to see her gone."

"We'll think about it," Calvin as he tried to shove her out.

"Pretty please," Shannon begged as she leaned over and stretched her chest out.

"Get out," Calvin ordered.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"So, who do you think we should vote for?" Garfield asked his group.

"Well," Matilda thought, "there's that guy—"

"You'd better not be talking about eliminating me!" Jason yelled.

"I wasn't," Matilda said.

"Because if you think that because I'm blind I can't compete, that's offensive and I won't tolerate it," Jason continued.

"No one is saying that," Chelsea insisted. "In fact, who do you want to eliminate?"

"Oh, that's a stupid question!" Jason cried. "I can't see anyone, how am I supposed to know what everyone's name is? I don't think you realize that I'm blind and I can't just identify people like that."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Chelsea apologized.

"Are you really?" Jason hissed.

"Guys, can we get going?" Riley asked. "I've already done so much work today, I really need to catch up on my sleep."

"Fine, let's go," Chelsea said.

* * *

(The Dock of Shame)

"Welcome to the very first elimination ceremony of Total Drama Stranded," Chris announced as all twenty teens arrived on the dock. "Tonight two of you will be leaving behind the island. Forever!"

"We know the drill," Pamela said. "Let's just get it over with."

"Fine," Chris grumbled. "Now budget cuts mean we won't be having any marshmallows, but I've got a nice pinecone collection. So if you hear your name you will grab your pinecone and be safe for the night. First up…Chelsea!"

"Chelsea, Chelsea, I'm gonna be wealthy!" Chelsea cheered as she got her pinecone.

"And Calvin!" Chris continued.

"Of course," Calvin exclaimed as he took his pinecone.

"Briony and Rusty."

"Pamela and Jojo!"

Keith and Desdemona!"

"Garfield and Misha!"

"Stanley and…that masked guy."

"Riley and Elijah."

All that remained now were Shannon, Ilona, Jason, and Matilda.

"Now, each of you received at least one vote tonight," Chris declared. "But only two of you will be leaving. And the two that are safe are…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Matilda and Ilona!"

"What?" Shannon and Jason screamed in unison.

"But I'm hot, you can't vote me out," Shannon exclaimed.

"I'm blind," Jason cried. "This is injustice!"

"You're annoying," Chelsea exclaimed.

"You're psychotic," Elijah threw in.

"You won't shut up," Matilda added.

"You're delusional," Ilona concluded.

"Alright, you two, it's time to walk down the Dock of Shame," Chris said as he guided them down the dock.

"Hey, where's the boat?" Shannon asked.

"Oh, is this part of your sick sense of humour, Chris?" Jason scoffed. "Trick the blind kid into walking off the edge of the dock?"

"Nope, like I said, budget cuts," Chris said. "But we've got something even better."

"What?" Shannon asked.

"This!" Chris exclaimed as he pushed a button.

Suddenly the two were launched into the air as a spring shot up from underneath the panel they were on.

"Well, with them gone, hopefully things will be a little quieter," Chris said. "You may now head back to your camps."

"All the way back," Riley whined. "Can't I just sleep here?"

"Let's go," Chelsea exclaimed as she dragged him along with her.

* * *

**Votes:**

**Chelsea-**I'm sorry, Jason, I wasn't planning on voting for you, but you made it clear that you don't belong here.

**Calvin-**Well there are plenty of losers on this team, at least they're bearable. Shannon is not.

**Matilda-**Jason you're doing disability wrong, it's supposed to be cute, not…whatever you're doing.

**Ilona-**Shannon did absolutely but complain, she is only hindering our team.

**Garfield-**Jason seems really stressed out, I think it's for the best that he goes home.

**Keith-**I listened around camp and heard that Shannon was a popular target. For now, it's best to just go with the flow.

**Rusty-**That blind kid is going to freak when he get voted off. It's going to be hilarious.

**Briony-**While I would rather vote for Calvin, I promised Ilona that I would vote with her and she wanted Shannon gone.

**Pamela-**I wonder who will be most upset to leave. Rusty or Jason…mm, I'll go with Jason; I can still have fun with Rusty.

**Jojo-**Out of Shannon and Stanley, Shannon was the one who was more intrusive. Sucks too, cause she really is hot.

**Masked Boy-**Jason.

**Misha-**Shannon is nothing but trouble. She must go before she drives everyone insane.

**Desdemona-**I don't need to have a gift to know that Jason is leaving tonight.

**Elijah-**I really like girls, and somehow Shannon made me hate her.

**Esme-**Jason believes that others mean him harm, when he does all the harm to himself.

**Stanley-**Goodbye Shannon, it was not nice knowing you.

**Riley-**I'm just going to vote out the guy who was the loudest, and that was easily Jason.

**Sasha-**The Temptress, Shannon, clearly brings nothing but discontent to this valiant team. We simply cannot accept such form.

**Jason-**I heard that Matilda girl's tone. She thinks that because I'm blind, I'm useless.

**Shannon-**Ilona made a mistake messing with me. After all my charms, those men will all be voting her right off.

* * *

(Conclusion)

Chris stood on the dock his hands on his hips.

"Well now, that does it for the first day on the new island," he said. "Shannon and Jason have no one to blame but themselves. Next time the teams will get settled and get to actually compete with one another. Plus, a new twist will be brought into action. You don't want to miss the next episode of Total…Drama…Stranded!"

_Author's Note: There you have it, the first elimination(s) of the season. I tried to make Shannon and Jason as unpleasant as possible. Even I didn't enjoy writing for them, and I like writing for nearly all my characters. _


	3. Hide and Cheat

"Hello, and greetings to all," Chris greeted from the new Dock of Shame. "Last time we saw the beginning of what's sure to be a superb season. The twenty teens divided into two teams, The Monster Mountain and The Raging Rivers. However, each team had their sets of troublemakers. On the Monster Mountains' side, Calvin formed an alliance of only people he deemed worthy enough for him. This left Ilona to make her own side with the 'freaks,' and there's also Keith who didn't do much. Then on the Raging Rivers, Rusty went straight to work on finding an immunity idol which may or may not exist. By the end of the day, twenty became eighteen as we shot off Jason and Shannon. However, you haven't seen the last of those two."

He cackled evilly.

"Stay tuned to find out more," he finished.

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

The camera returned to Chris on the dock.

"It's time to throw in a shocking twist," he declared. "Before we start the new day, have a quick look at this never before seen footage of last night's episode."

The camera then changed scenes to a beach. It was a serene, peaceful night as the waves flowed against the sand. Until…

"Ahhh!" Shannon and Jason screamed as they collided into the sand.

"Ugh, this sand is going to ruin my perfect body!" Shannon whined as she wiped herself out. "But at least I've got a summer on Playa Des Losers…wait a minute…"

"What? What is it?" Jason snapped. "In case you've forgotten, I can't see so I have no idea what you're looking at it."

"This isn't Playa Des Losers," Shannon declared puzzled. "Where are we?"

The two slowly examined their new location. Above the beach was a completely wild jungle. Unlike the forest they had previously visited, this terrain was completely overgrow with no signs of any easy paths.

"Hey, there's a sign!" Shannon exclaimed as she went over to investigate. "I suppose I'll have to read it to you."

"You wouldn't have to if Chris had bothered to put brail on it!" Jason complained. "What was he thinking? He knew there'd be a blind kid on the island."

"Well, let's see," Shannon said as she began to read. "Welcome to Not Quite Loser Island. If you are reading this, that means that you have been eliminated from the game."

"Well, obviously!" Jason scoffed.

"Shut up, there's more," Shannon growled. "However, you are being given a second chance. Hidden over this wild island are four, McClean Brand Chris Heads. While you endure the savage wilderness, you must also search for these totems. By the time the merge arrives, whoever four are holding the totems will return to the game. PS, you are strongly encouraged to lie, cheat, use violence, or whatever it takes to get the idols."

"Fine, here's the deal," Jason said. "You find two idols and give one to me. I can't go searching through the wilderness, I'm blind."

"Oh, of course, Jasey, whatever you want," Shannon said sweetly.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Shannon-**As if. I'm going to find that idol and leave blindy here to die. The only thing worse than a gay boy is a blind boy; he can't appreciate my beauty.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The team members were huddled together under their group shelter. It had been a rough night full of tossing and turning as they tried to get comfortable. However, by now all of them seemed content as several of them slept on top of each other.

Chelsea stretched out as she woke up.

"Oh my back," she moaned as she rubbed it.

She continued to stretch as she stepped out of the shelter. Suddenly she paused as she smelled a tempting aroma.

"What's this?" she exclaimed as she followed her nose.

To her surprise she found that she was not the first one up. The Masked Boy was cooking some fish over a fire.

"You're up early," Chelsea said. "Did you set up all this on your own?"

"Yes," the boy answered. "I wanted to make sure that we had breakfast before the next challenge."

"But fishing and a fire, that's very impressive," Chelsea praised.

The other members of the team we're getting out now and also coming over to source of the smell.

"I smell something delicious!" Matilda exclaimed as she pranced over to the fire.

The Masked Boy pulled out a sharpened rock and began cutting the cooked fish into pieces.

"Mm, this is good," Garfield exclaimed as he took a bite. "It's different from what I'm used, but good none the less."

Desdemona made a grand entrance as she left the shelter.

"Oooh, the spirits spoke to me in my sleep!" she declared dramatically. "I was told that a hero would emerge from our team today."

"Well, I think we found our hero," Chelsea said. "Our masked friend here made us all a delicious breakfast."

"Delicious," Esme agreed as she took a bite. "But tragic to think of how many lives were lost for this meal."

An awkward silence filled the area.

"Um…what do you mean?" Garfield asked.

"You would not understand," Esme remarked. "Human lives mean so much to you, fish mean so little."

"Newsflash, fish are food, not people," Rusty pointed out.

"Okay, okay, guys, I think it's team for a group meet," Chelsea declared as she motioned for everyone to sit down. "So, I know that drama tends to sprout in teams, but I want us to avoid that. So, let's all make an agreement to put aside all differences and try are bestest to get along. Agreed?"

"Agree," echoed back some, but not all, of the team.

"I will agree, but it will not hold," Esme declared. "Conflict is inevitable."

"This is stupid," Pamela sneered. "I'm not going to be friends with you losers."

"Hey, you take that back!" Matilda snapped.

"This is what I'm talking about," Chelsea said while keeping her cool. "We don't have to all be best friends, but the fact is we are a team now and the best way to work is if we all get along. Okay?"

No one objected this time, but it was clear that Pamela wasn't too happy.

"I think we've found another hero," Desdemona declared. "I'm seeing you accomplishing great things, Chelsea. The Eagle of Guidance flies within your eyes."

"Oh…thank you," Chelsea replied.

"Morning guys, what'd I miss?" Riley asked as he finally woke up.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I'm trying to offer an olive branch to people like Pamela and Rusty here. I've been captain of the cheer team long enough to know that teams are only as strong as their weakest link.

**Masked Boy-**It's important for me to prove my worth to my team immediately. They're not going to trust a guy with a mask on, so I need to give them a reason to keep me.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Like the other team, the Mountains were quite uncomfortable in their shelter. Sasha had taken to cuddling with Stanley for warmth, while Briony had curled up into a ball. Ilona was the first to awake. She dedicated her early morning to jogging around the site and performing various other warm up exercises.

"Good morning, Miss Ilona," Misha greeted as she woke.

"Hello, Misha," Ilona said. "I was just about to get started on breakfast. I think I saw some berries in that forest over there."

"Perfect," Misha exclaimed. "I'll help you collect some."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Ilona said. "I appreciate the offer, but you're probably still a little tired. You can just rest for now."

"But," Misha tried to argue.

"I'll be fine," Ilona assured as she jogged off into the forest.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**It's f**king annoying that no one takes me seriously. I want to prove to my team that I am a valuable asset, with something as simple as collecting berries. And she wouldn't even let me do that? What the hell could possibly happen? My dress could get dirty, oh no. Who gives a damn?

* * *

It didn't take long for the other members to wake up.

"Ah, what a glorious morning this is," Sasha exclaimed. "The Goddess of the Sun is telling us that good chance is in store for us."

"Hardly," Briony sniffed. "It's the middle of summer, it's very a likely chance to be a sunny morning. What would be an interesting sign would be seeing snow."

"Well, someone's grumpy," Stanley laughed.

"I'm being realistic," Briony argued. "You've got to have a firm head on your shoulders if you plan to survive this game."

"Hello, ladies!" Elijah exclaimed as he hopped over to group. "Today's your lucky day because I just had a terrible experience with a crazy girl, so as long as you're remotely normal, you'll have a chance with me."

"Pfft, I don't want a chance with you," Briony scoffed.

"Well, I wasn't' talking to you," Elijah said. "Yeah, I've decided that you're too much of a nerd for my tastes, it would never work."

"Well, so much for 'remotely normal,'" Stanley pointed out.

"I've got to keep _some_ standards," Elijah insisted. "I'm a prize package; I can't just throw myself at every girl who comes my way."

Elijah moved on to examine Misha and Sasha.

"Let's see, I'd still feel weird with a kid," he muttered as he eyed Misha.

"I told you, I'm not a kid," Misha protested.

"Regardless, it'd be weird," Elijah said. "Now, how about you, Sash? Can you tone down your weirdness level for me?"

"I fail to understand your inquiry, suitor," Sasha replied.

"Hm, that's not happening," Elijah muttered.

"Hey, what about me?" Stanley asked as he shot a wink at Elijah.

"No, just no," Elijah shuddered.

"Oh, stop talking to them, Elijah," Calvin ordered. "None of them are suitable for someone like you. You're too good for the bottom of the barrel like them."

"I take offense to that!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Good, that was the intention," Calvin declared. "And you'd better get used to rejection. Even if you weren't a loon, you're still hideous. No guy in his right mind would want you."

"Ah! You sir, are no more than a savage brute, I ought to smite you right here and now," Sasha cried.

"You tell him, Sasha," Stanley said. "I don't see why he's being all high and mighty. As you can see, we don't need your approval, we've got shelter, we've got food—"

"Do you now?" Calvin asked mischievously. "Because I sent Jojo out early this morning to collect all the berries he could find. I want to make sure that the people who really deserve to eat, eat first. If there's any left I might feel generous to you."

"Well, here comes Ilona now," Stanley noted.

Ilona brought company. She was dragging Jojo by the ear back to camp.

"Jojo, are you feeling ready to share yet?" Ilona asked as she twisted his ear.

"Yes, ma'am," Jojo sighed as he opened his hands to reveal piles of red berries.

"Jojo, don't give into her like that!" Calvin snapped.

"Aha, I figured you sent him out there," Ilona exclaimed. "Next time maybe you'll think twice about trying to cause trouble for me."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**The key to getting to the top is making sure there's someone in the bottom. The problem is Sasha and Stanley don't seem willing to break so easily. But I'll take control soon enough; I think I can rope in some more members to my elite alliance.

**Ilona-**I don't know what Calvin's game is, but on my team you have to earn the respect, not demand it.

* * *

Both teams ate their breakfast when they heard the sound of Chris's helicopter arriving.

"Heads up!" Chris cried.

Both teams looked up to see that something was coming crashing down out of the sky. They quickly scrambled out of the way as a TV landed in each camp.

"Good morning, campers!" Chris greeted as his face appeared on the screen. "It's time for your first challenge as teams. If you win this challenge, you'll be given an advantage in the next immunity challenge."

"We are so winning this!" Matilda exclaimed to her team.

"The challenge is simple," Chris continued. "I'm sure you'll all familiar with Hide and Seek. Well, for this challenge, you'll pick five members of your team to be hider and four to be seekers. Hiders will have to stay undercover within the boundaries of their camp. Seekers will have to find them. Seekers, you must tag your target or else it won't count. And hiders, don't worry you'll know if you've been tagged. I'll make sure of that."

Chris chuckled malevolently which sent a chill down the contestants' spines.

"Oh, and this message with self-destruct," Chris finished.

The two teams quickly backed away from the TV.

"Hey, Briony," Calvin said as he approached the girl.

"What?" The girl asked.

Boo!" he exclaimed as he shoved her back towards the TV.

The screen exploded right in Briony's face.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Oh, that felt so good. Briony totally deserved that.

**Briony-**(She is covered in soot.) Oh, I bet he thinks he's so funny. Well he won't be laughing when we vote his ass out of here!

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Alright, let's divide up the tasks in a civilized manner," Ilona said to her team. "Who wants to hide and who wants to seek?"

"Oh, I've got the perfect hiding strategy," Briony exclaimed as she wiped off the remaining soot from her face.

"Nobody cares what you think," Calvin interrupted. "I bet it'll be something lame and geeky."

"Civilized manner, people, I cannot stress this enough!" Ilona exclaimed. "You can hide if you want, Briony."

"Yeah, it's probably for the best," Jojo added. "She's too fat to be any good chasing down the others."

Jojo and Calvin high fived, while Ilona and Briony glared at them.

"I should probably seek," Misha suggested. "This pink dress won't be easy to hide."

An idea seemed to hit Calvin and he nudged Jojo.

"We'll both be seekers too," he said.

Ilona narrowed her eyes carefully.

"Fine, but I'm going too to keep an eye on you guys," she declared.

"Well, I guess that leaves us as hiders," Stanley said as he gestured at himself, Sasha, and Elijah.

"Right," Ilona said. "Hey, where's Keith?"

"Well, he'll be hiding too," Stanley replied. "I'd say he's got the right idea."

The group split apart, but Calvin pulled Jojo and Elijah aside.

"Okay, here's the plan," Calvin said. "Jojo and I are going to work on getting Ilona and Misha to abandon the losers and stick with us. Elijah, I need you to get them to realize how pathetic Briony really is."

"Can do!" Elijah said as he saluted.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Ilona doesn't have to associate herself with the lower tier; she's strong and sexy, she could easily be star material. Briony on the other hand is ripe to be taken down.

**Misha-**Finally a chance to show everyone that I'm not just some wimpy kid. I won't go all out, but how hard can it be to tag a couple of these chumps?

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Okay, who's hiding and who's seeking?" Chelsea asked her team.

"Oh, Pamela and I will stay behind to hide!" Rusty exclaimed.

"You don't speak for me," Pamela sniffed.

"So, do you want to seek?" Chelsea asked.

"I didn't say that," Pamela replied.

"Fine, you two are hiding," Chelsea declared. "What about the rest of you?"

"I should probably seek," Desdemona said. "My dress will make it hard to hide and run…also the voices tell me that that will lead to the best outcome."

"I will hide," the masked boy declared. "I already got a chance to scout out the area. I know my way around well enough to stay safe."

"I'll hide," Riley offered.

"You think you can stay hidden?" Chelsea asked.

"No, I just don't want to walk all the way to the other camp," Riley answered.

Chelsea rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything.

"Oh, I just had a really super idea," Matilda exclaimed. "The three of us should totally stick together! We make such a good team."

"Okay, you, me, and Garfield will make up the rest of the seekers," Chelsea declared. "That leaves Esme to hide. Esme, where'd she go?"

"Well, someone wants to get a head start," Garfield remarked.

"No, she just does that," Rusty said. "She'll reappear when you least expect it."

"Okay, team, looks like we're ready," Chelsea declared. "Let's win our first challenge!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**The first team challenge really sets the theme for the rest of the game. It'll be a real downer if we started off on the losing side.

**Rusty-**This is so perfect; I'll have all this time to find that immunity idol.

**Pamela-**Chelsea sure seems proud of her team. Let's see if I can wipe that smile off her face.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The seekers had left the mountain, and Keith was still nowhere to be seen. This left Sasha, Briony, Elijah, and Stanley.

"None shall find Lady Sasha," Sasha exclaimed. "I shall climb this mountain until the heavens shadow me."

As soon as she had spoken she took off and began scaling one of the mountain walls.

"Wait, wait, wait," Briony ordered before the others could leave. "I need you guys to help with my plan."

"Ugh, didn't you hear Calvin?" Elijah complained. "No one cares about your lame plan. Now, I need to hide somewhere while there's still time.

"Hang on, you didn't even hear my plan," Briony exclaimed.

"Fine, but make it quick," Elijah sighed.

"Well, we've already got our shelters set up," Briony explained. "So, if we make another building that's sealed from all side, it won't look out of place, but no one would be able to get into it…unless we built it around someone."

"I knew it, lame," Elijah scoffed.

"It is not!" Briony pouted. "Now you guys are going to help me!"

"I'm telling you, it's not going to work," Elijah grumbled. "But you're not giving us much of an option."

"Great, get to work," Briony ordered.

"Oh, one more thing," Elijah added. "If you're even reincarnated, keep in mind, guys definitely prefer looks over brains. Not saying that you have either, but just keep it in mind."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**Briony's plan is pretty stupid, but if I said 'no' no one would see how badly it would fail.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Remind me again, why you're making me hide with you?" Pamela asked as she followed Rusty through the damp grounds.

"We're not hiding," Rusty declared.

"Oh, well I just assumed since we're obviously not seeking," Pamela pointed out.

"But we are," Rusty said with a slight chuckle. "We're seeking the immunity idol."

"Not this again," Pamela groaned. "You know, I'm pretty sure that normal people use strategy to survive this game. Personally, I don't care, but that's what I've heard."

"This is strategy," Rusty argued. "It's a flawless strategy. I find the idol, I make everyone hate me, then when they all try to vote me out…Bam! I take out that cheerleader!"

"Flawless you say?" Pamela scoffed. "How about, you don't find the idol?"

"Well, we're not going to find it with that attitude," Rusty said. "So get searching."

"Well it's not here, it's not there, it's not over there," Pamela remarked. "Here's an idea, maybe it doesn't exist. Oh, wouldn't that be funny."

"Shut up, shut up!" Rusty exclaimed as he covered his ears.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Ilona, Calvin, Jojo, and Misha had left the mountain and we're making their way to their opponents' camp.

"Listen, Ilona, I think we should talk," Calvin said.

"Go ahead," Ilona said without breaking her pace.

"Well, I really don't think that we need to be enemies," Calvin explained.

"I completely agree," Ilona replied.

"There's plenty of room in our shelter for more," Calvin continued. "You and Misha would be welcome. Together we could out all those loser kids."

"Stop, just stop," Ilona ordered as she turned to face Calvin. "None of those people have done anything to you yet."

"That's because they're weak," Calvin argued. "If they were smart they'd try to take control of the game. I'm sorry to break it to you, but you can't play nice with everyone. Someone has to go and I say that it should be them."

"Someone will have to go when we it's an immunity challenge and only when we lose," Ilona pointed out. "Until then I don't want to hear about it; but I'll tell you this, if you keep it up, you may find yourself off the island pretty fast."

"I'm offering you a chance here, Ilona," Calvin insisted. "You don't have to be dragged down."

"You're only dragging yourself down," Ilona declared.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Fine, if Ilona doesn't want to be friends, then she's my enemy.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The four seekers had become climbing out the side of the mountain.

"Sooo, I know it's a little early to be thinking about this, and all," Matilda said as she climbed, "but what would you guys do if you won the money?"

"Oh, I'm really not sure what I would do first?" Chelsea answered. "I've always wanted to travel, I guess, but there are still so many options. Japan, England, Australia, they all sound amazing."

"I've been looking into a research group that plans to reverse Global Warming," Garfield said. "They could use the extra funding. But I also might buy a gift for my brother, Timothy, I'm sure he misses me."

"What about you, Desdemona?" Matilda asked.

"Oh, I won't be winning," Desdemona answered. "The fates have other plans for me. But I'd be very happy to see any of you win."

"It would be, like, super great if two of us won second and first prize," Matilda exclaimed. "Then we could, like, donate the money and travel the world!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Matilda-**I just love my new friend group. They are so super awesome. Chelsea and Garfield are all around just wonderful people. Desdemona's okay too, but I don't know if I'd like to include her in my friend circle.

**Desdemona-**There's something not right with Garfield. I don't care if you're rich, who seriously plans to get a million dollars to just give away? Either it's an act or we've got a saint walking among us.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"The camp is just ahead," Jojo announced. "I can hear the rushing water."

The four picked up the pace and soon came to the river. One after another they hopped across the slippery stones.

"Whoa, whoa!" Calvin exclaimed as he started to slip.

"Careful," Ilona cautioned.

"Oops!" Calvin laughed as he pretended to fall and shoved Ilona into the river.

Ilona didn't stay submerged for long, though. She quickly swam to the other side and glared at Calvin.

"Very mature," she scoffed. "Not only are you spiteful, you're also petty. I hope you don't have any plans for the money."

After Ilona gave herself a quick shake to get dry, the four arrived at the camp. While it was mostly empty, there was one blatantly obvious camper sitting right in the open.

"Hey guys," Riley greeted. "I surrender, or whatever. Can you just take me and get me out?"

"It's gotta be a trick," Jojo whispered to the team.

"Agreed," Ilona said. "Let's just go around him. If he's still there when we get back, we'll take him out."

And so the Monster Mountains made their way around the clearing.

"Uh, guys, where are you going?" Riley called.

The four didn't stop until they had moved onto another part of the area.

"Oh well," Riley said with a shrug as he prepared for another nap.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The four had made it to the mountain clearing.

"Here we are, ladies," Garfield said as he helped up his companions.

"Hm, too shelters," Chelsea noted. "Three if you count that poorly built boxy thing over there. I wonder what's going on with them."

"Oh, I'm sure they're just not as awesome a team as we are," Matilda laughed.

"Anyways, I suggest we check out that forest," Chelsea declared. "It'd be pretty easy for them to find someplace to hide in there."

So, the four progressed into the mountain woods.

Part way though, Matilda suggested, "Maybe we should split up."

"Good idea," Garfield agreed. "What we're you thinking?"

"Well, I had in mind," Matilda said, "you, Chelsea and I on one team, and Desdemona on her own."

"Are you okay with this, Des?" Garfield asked.

"Of course," Desdemona replied. "How can I be upset, when I knew it would happen long before?"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Hm, they seem to be forming a tightly knit group already, and they clearly don't want me as a part of it. I'll sit on that; right now I've got a challenge to win.

* * *

(Stanley)

Stanley had climbed up the mountain after Sasha. The hyper girl had scaled it upwards quickly, but Stanley was having more trouble. He paused on several large edges and indents, yet he still saw no sign of the girl. That was, until he came across a cave within the mountain.

"Hello, anyone home?" he called into the cave.

"What's the password?" Sasha called back.

"Open sesame?" Stanley tried. "Pretty please? Password 1A2B3C?

"Close enough," Sasha exclaimed as she pulled Stanley in. "Welcome to the Cave of Fifor the Strong. They say that the spirit of the slain ogre still wanders these very tunnels."

"Sounds like an interesting guy, I'd like to meet him sometime," Stanley replied.

"Aye, it would be quite an experience to speak with an ogre," Sasha agreed as she sat down.

"So, do you feel that you're safe here from the invading soldiers?" Stanley asked as he sat down as well.

"Hah, it's the soldiers who should be hiding from me!" Sasha declared proudly. "If come within my view—Hiya! I'll slice them right in half."

Sasha had grabbed a stick from the ground and was swinging it around wildly.

"Careful with that," Stanley laughed. "You don't want to cut your own arm off."

"Fear not, Squire Stanley," Sasha said. "I have been trained by the best in the art of swordplay."

"Good to know, good to know," Stanley said. "So, Lady Sasha, I hope you're not too upset about what Calvin said to you."

"Not at all," Sasha replied. "That lowly maggot does not the first thing about courtship. He's words are meaningless to me."

"Well, that's a good attitude to have," Stanley replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**I know that the world can be a very cruel place. I've been able to cope with all the hate sent my way, but people like Sasha might feel more vulnerable. I hope she doesn't get hurt by the end of this.

**Sasha-**That Stanley is a fine squire and he'll make an even finer knight someday.

* * *

(Pamela and Rusty)

The two continued to search through the grounds for any sign of the idol. Well, Rusty searched, Pamela was doing what she could to drive him crazy.

"Look, there's another place that it's not," Pamela exclaimed. "And it's not there, either. Wow, if you looking for the exact opposite, you'd have found it tenfold by now."

"Maybe Chris hid it in one of these trees," Rusty mused as he reached into a hole in a tree. "Oh, something bit me!"

"I know, maybe Chris gave the idol teeth this time," Pamela exclaimed. "You'd better reach in there again just to make sure."

"How dumb do you think I am?" Rusty scoffed. "Now, let's see if it's in this tree…oh, that one had poison ivy in it."

"This is fun," Pamela said.

"Hold on, do you hear that!" Rusty exclaimed in a hushed voice. "Someone's coming, they can't find me already! I need to find that idol."

"Hey, Mountains, over here!" Pamela called. "Looking for someone to tag, I've got your target right here."

"Shut up!" Rusty ordered as he covered Pamela's mouth.

The footsteps turned out to belong to Esme actually.

"Oh, it's you," Rusty breathed in relief. "Say have you seen an idol shaped thing…um, it's not an idol or anything, but just curious."

"No," Esme answered before turning back and going back into the forest.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Esme-**Rusty hopes that an idol will get him out of trouble, but there are no idols for real life.

* * *

(Keith)

Keith was resting in his tree. He had heard the challenge, but had decided that it would be best for him to remain right where he was. Playfully he twirled a leaf in his hands as he waited for anyone to find him.

"Aha, there's someone!" Chelsea exclaimed.

Quickly Chelsea, Matilda, and Garfield surrounded the tree.

"Hello guys, beautiful day, isn't it?" Keith greeted.

"So, you think you've got it made," Chelsea cheered, "but weather calls for rain on your parade!"

Matilda and Garfield cringed at her poor rhyme.

"Okay, that sounded better in my head, "Chelsea admitted.

"Well, you're welcome to try and get me if you can," Keith said.

"That's exactly what I plan to do!" Chelsea declared as she began climbing up the tree.

"Now I'm up here!" Keith laughed as he pulled himself higher.

"You can't keep climbing forever," Chelsea said as she pulled herself up another branch. "I've just about got you."

SNAP! Suddenly the branch she was standing on broke right off.

"Yikes!" Chelsea cried as she soared downward.

She landed right on top of Matilda.

"Well, I've got to go," Keith exclaimed as he swung himself onto another tree, "but it was nice meeting all of you."

Keith continued to leap from tree to tree until the trio was out of sight. Eventually he slowed down and paused again, but that was when he spotted someone else.

Desdemona was pacing through the forest with her back turned to him. As Keith landed on the next branch, she heard the slight creak. Instead of turning around, though, she pulled out a small handheld mirror.

"I see you, Keith," she declared without turning around.

"That's nice," Keith replied, "but I have to wonder if it's because you have eyes in the back of your head, or simply because of the mirror you're holding."

"Oh, Keith, you're so funny," Desdemona laughed. "That's not what this mirror is for."

"Really?" Keith responded. "Then pray tell, what is it for?"

"This!" Desdemona exclaimed as she tilted the mirror to reflect sunlight in Keith's eyes.

The boy was caught off guard and stumbled right out of the tree.

"Gotcha!" Desdemona cheered as she tagged him on the shoulder.

"Well, played," Keith praised as he got back up.

"We have our first victim," Chris declared from his helicopter.

From that vantage point, Chris pulled out what looked a colourful pistol. He aimed it at Keith and fired.

"Ouch!" Keith exclaimed as a brief shock went through his body. "What was that for?"

"I told you, I'd let you know when you were out," Chris laughed. "Now get back to camp."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Chalk up another point for Desdemona!

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Four pairs of eyes scanned the vicinity. Every time a bush rustled or a branch snapped, their eyes homed in on the source. So far, they had yet to find anyone.

"There!" Jojo exclaimed as he spotted someone.

The masked boy was watching them from a small hill. As soon as Jojo had spotted him, he turned to run.

"After him!" Ilona ordered.

The four of them chased after him, yet he easily evaded them.

"Where'd he go?" Calvin exclaimed.

"He can't be far," Ilona declared. "Just keep your eyes peeled."

The four spread out to search the area for any sign of their target. Jojo climbed up a tree to have a better look around, while Calvin searched through shrubs. Ilona was peeking behind a tree where she saw Esme standing. She looked away then rubbed her eyes. When she looked back, the girl was gone. Ilona just shrugged.

Misha was walking by a tree, when a leaf floated down in front of her. She looked up to see the masked boy holding onto a branch.

"You're mine," she exclaimed.

The boy wasted no time dropping down and running.

"Oh no, you are not getting away from me this time!" Misha said as she bolted after the boy.

The masked boy swerved in between trees, but Misha was able to keep up with him. He was just about in her reach when suddenly she fell to the ground. She turned to realize that her dress had gotten caught in some brambles. When she looked back up, the masked boy was gone.

"Fuuuuu—" she roared as she punched a tree.

When she realized that Calvin, Jojo, and Ilona were looking at her she added, "-dge. Fudge, he got away."

"It's not your fault," Ilona said.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure it was," Calvin remarked.

"Hey, I didn't see you get a better shot at him," Ilona snapped.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Great, so I finally get a chance to prove that I can run, simple enough, right, and this f**king dress screws me over!

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The seekers were heading out of the forest now.

"That's one down," Chelsea declared. "Let's see if we can keep our lead."

They soon arrived back at the camp. Keith had taken to lying in one of the shelters now.

"So, like, where else can they hide?" Matilda asked.

"Well, let's take a look at these shelters," Garfield suggested.

Everyone moved out and investigated the various buildings, but didn't spot any hidden campers.

"Why would they build this box thing without a door or any way in?" Chelsea asked as she examined the odd structure.

"Maybe it's for protecting their food or something," Garfield suggested.

The four soon left behind the shelters to explore other parts of the mountain area.

"Found someone!" Matilda exclaimed.

"First you have to catch me!" Elijah exclaimed as he slid out from his hiding place behind a rock.

"After him!" Matilda exclaimed.

Elijah moved quickly back towards the camp as the other four trailed behind. He was faster than most of them, though, and had a head start which meant that his pursuers soon fell behind. Only Chelsea was able to keep up her pace.

Elijah passed the boys' shelter and soon came up to Briony's box. He paused ever so slightly just to deliver a kick to the base of the box. Then he kept running and grinned to himself as the box fell apart on itself.

"Hey, what the?" Briony exclaimed as the wood crashed in on her.

Chelsea didn't stop, though, she was too focused on Elijah. With a final burst of speed she charged at her target. She dived and tackled him to the ground.

"That's two down," Chris exclaimed as he delivered a shock to Elijah.

"Make that three, Chris," Matilda exclaimed as she gestured at Briony struggling to get out of her mess. "Garfield, would you do the honours?"

Garfield nodded and gave a small tap to Briony's shoulder. Chris targeted her and delivered another shock.

"The Raging Rivers are taking a strong lead," Chris declared.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**They were winning anyways, I just made sure that Briony looked like a total doofus.

* * *

(Rusty and Pamela)

The two were climbing up a slope now. Rusty was desperately searching in every bush, shrub, and hole that he could find.

"Think if you were and idol, where would you be?" Rusty exclaimed.

"Somewhere where no one would find me," Pamela replied dryly.

"You're not helping," Rusty pouted.

"Oh, I was helping before?" Pamela remarked.

"Look, it's not like you have that great a relation with the team yet," Rusty said. "If we don't find this idol, you could be taken out pretty soon."

"Meh," Pamela said with a shrug.

As Rusty continued to search the area, Pamela went ahead and climbed up the slope further.

When she reached the top she exclaimed, "Get out here fast!"

"You found it?" Rusty said eagerly as he rushed up to the top. "Where is it?"

The top of the slope led to a small waterfall, that poured down into the river.

"Think fast!" Pamela exclaimed as she shoved Rusty over the edge.

Rusty, who already had momentum from running, easily stumbled right over the edge and into the water.

"Let me know if you find it down there," Pamela called after him.

With that, Pamela turned away from the water and headed back down the way she had come. As she walked down the slope, someone collided right into her.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" she snapped to the masked boy.

The boy gestured for her to be silent and pulled her aside. He did his best to hide them in the shrubs as the Monster Mountains arrived.

"Oh, I get it," Pamela whispered. "Hey! Over here!"

All four of the Monster Mountains stopped in their tracks when they heard Pamela's voice.

"Come get him!" Pamela called.

The masked boy turned to run again, but Pamela grabbed his ankle and tripped him.

"Well, that was easy," Jojo remarked as he tagged the masked boy.

"The Monster Mountains get two for one!" Chris exclaimed as he fired a shock at the masked boy.

Since Pamela was still holding onto his leg, the shock traveled right into her as well.

"I don't know what's up with this team," Calvin said, "but it's like they want to lose."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Once we lose this challenge, that'll ruin that cheerleader's mood. And the best part is, it's a reward challenge, so they can't do a damn thing about it.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Keith and Briony sat in one shelter, while Elijah sat in the other one. The box where Briony had been hiding had been reduced to a pile of sticks.

"Well, we've searched all around the area," Garfield declared.

"That's not possible," Matilda exclaimed. "They've got to be, like, somewhere."

"Fear not, I feel that we're closer than ever to finding them," Desdemona assured.

"Desdemona's right," Chelsea agreed. "For example, I don't think we've gone up yet."

The four looked up at the mountain wall.

"We might as well give it a shot," Chelsea said.

She took the lead and began scaling the wall. Garfield and Matilda followed behind her, while Desdemona brought up the rear.

"I don't see any sign of them," Matilda said nervously as she looked down.

"We've still got a way to go," Chelsea noted as they reached another ledge. "Let's keep moving."

The four continued to climb until they came across the same cave that Stanley had found.

"They've got to be in here," Garfield exclaimed.

They entered the cave, where Stanley and Sasha were waiting.

"Gadzooks, we've been discovered!" Sasha exclaimed. "Arm yourself, squire!"

She tossed a stick at Stanley and assumed a fighting stance.

"Now, now, let's not doing anything drastic," Matilda said nervously. "Remember we are on top of a very tall mountain."

"Ha!" Sasha exclaimed as she jabbed at Matilda.

The other girl cowered in fear, even though Sasha was not nearly close enough to hit her.

"There's no need to make this more difficult than it has to be," Garfield said. "Let's just get it over with."

"A good knight never gives in!" Sasha declared. "Squire Stanley, attack!"

Stanley shrugged and charged at the other team with his stick. It didn't take long for Garfield to get close and tag him on the arm. However, it did give Sasha the chance to dash by and head for the exit.

"She's escaping!" Desdemona exclaimed.

"A good knight also knows when she's outnumbered," Sasha declared as she began descending back down the mountain.

"Come on, she can't be going too fast," Chelsea said as they followed after her.

Sasha, however, had taken to sliding down the mountain rapidly. She stopped occasionally on a ledge, only to keep on sliding down the slope.

"Okay, I stand corrected," Chelsea said.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The seekers had searched throughout the forest, yet still couldn't find any more of their targets.

"Well, we might as well go back for that guy at the camp," Jojo suggested.

"I suppose," Ilona agreed, "but there are still two more out there."

"I think I might be able to catch one of them," Calvin said. "But I'll need to do it alone."

Ilona clearly didn't like the sound of this, but other than narrowing her eyes, she didn't offer any objection.

"Fine," she said.

Then she led Jojo and Misha back to the camp. Calvin put his plan into action. He huddled up against a tree and tried as best as he could to keep himself concealed. Then he waited as silently as possible. For a long while, nothing happened, but Calvin was patient. Finally his waiting paid off. Esme appeared from the bushes and slowly walked past.

"Gotcha!" Calvin exclaimed as he grabbed onto her pigtail.

"Congratulations," she said icily as Chris fired a shock into her.

"The Raging Rivers still hold the lead," Chris declared, "but that could change any time now."

Meanwhile, Ilona, Jojo, and Misha had returned to the camp. Pamela and the masked boy were sitting inside, while Riley was still napping right where they had left him.

"Tag," Jojo said to Riley. "You're out."

"Huh," Riley yawned as he woke up. "Oh…okay."

He then immediately went right back to sleep. He didn't even seem to notice when Chris shocked him.

"And that ties it up," Chris declared. "It all depends on who can catch the next hider."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I noticed that pigtailed girl was appearing and disappearing around us, so I decided to turn the tables on her and catch her off guard. I wish she would have made it more satisfying though.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The team took even longer getting back down the mountain. Matilda trembled nervously with every step, and Desdemona had difficulty with her dress. Eventually, though, they arrived safely at the bottom. There, Sasha was waiting for them with her stick in hand.

"There, now the playing field is fair," she declared. "Will you challenge me?"

"Um, yes?" Chelsea answered.

"Then show me your best," Sasha exclaimed as she raised her 'sword.'

Chelsea shrugged then stepped towards him.

"Ha, ha!" Sasha exclaimed as she flicked her stick across Chelsea's arm.

"Ow!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"One more step and I won't go so easily," Sasha declared.

"Fine, you want to play tough, I can play tough," Chelsea retorted as she charged at the girl.

Sasha just moved out of the way and delivered a jab to Chelsea's stomach. Garfield tried to get the drop on her from behind, but Sasha just slashed from behind her. She managed to knock Garfield back, but didn't have time to stop and gloat. Matilda and Desdemona came charging at her from either side. All Sasha had to do was step aside and let them crash right into each other.

"Is that seriously the best you could do?" Sasha sighed. "Tell your dark ruler that he had better train better troops if he hopes to imprison Lady Sasha."

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The team had regrouped at the river camp. The four victims were unhappily sitting in the shelter together…except for Riley who seemed quite content to be napping.

"Well, I don't think we're ever going to find that last guy," Jojo sighed. "We've looked all around."

"We mustn't give up now," Ilona insisted. "If we keep trying, we can do this."

"Oh come on, it's not like he's just going to show up in the next couple of minutes or anything," Calvin scoffed.

"Somebody help me!" a voice called from the river. "I'm drowning!"

"Huh," everyone exclaimed as they looked over at the water. They could see a head and pair of arms struggling to stay afloat in the rushing water.

"Don't worry, I've got you," Jojo exclaimed as he reached out and pulled Rusty to safety

"Oh, thank you, I'm safe!" Rusty sighed in relief.

"Not quite, Rusty," Chris laughed as he delivered his final shock.

Due to the water, the shock was amplified for Rusty. His spikey hair got even more spikey as the electricity coursed through it.

"And that concludes the Hide and Seek challenge," Chris declared. "You may return to your campers. Monster Mountains, you have won the reward. You will receive it on the next immunity challenge."

* * *

(Later, Raging Rivers)

"I can't believe we lost," Chelsea sighed. "We we're doing so well."

It was dark now and the team was sitting around another fire.

"I'll tell you who we can blame," the masked boy said accusingly. "P—"

"Oh, let's not blame each other," Garfield interrupted. "We never really stop a chance against that Sasha girl, she sure was fast on her feet."

"But," the masked boy tried to say.

"Don't worry about it," Chelsea added. "The important thing is that none of us are going home. We'll do better on the next challenge, I'm sure of it."

The masked boy just looked at Pamela who made a face at him in return.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"I saw it with my own two eyes," Elijah told his team as they grouped up. "Briony forced us to make this stupid box thing, which fell apart in like two seconds."

"It was not two seconds," Briony pouted. "It lasted a good three hours."

"Whatever, the point is she could have lost the game for us," Elijah insisted.

"But she didn't," Ilona growled. "So I want you to all stop worrying so much."

"Yeah, and you can thank Sasha for winning that challenge for us," Stanley added.

"That's nice," Calvin scoffed. "But really we never would have won this challenge if it wasn't for me and Jojo. We were the taking out all those River losers."

It felt like there was going to be a big argument coming, when Keith spoke up for the first time.

"Hate to interrupt this riveting discussion," he said, "but I'd really like to get some sleep. Do you think we could call it a night?"

And just like that, the two sides split up again, while Keith returned to the woods.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"Wow, wasn't that exciting?" Chris exclaimed from the Dock of Shame. "Things are heating up already, and I think it's just about time for another elimination. So, next time the two teams are going to be competing for survival. New rivalries will be formed and old rivalries will grow stronger. All of this will lead to someone taking the Spring of Shame. Speaking of which, let's check in with our previous boots.

* * *

(Not Quite Losers Island)

"Urgh, I have searched everywhere!" Shannon roared as she returned from a day of exploration. "And what do I have to show for it? Mosquito bites, horsefly bites, jellyfish stings! I don't even know how I got that last one. Now, where's our shelter?"

"Oh, you expect me to build a shelter?" Jason scoffed. "Perhaps you've forgotten, but I'm blind and I can't exactly do physically labor like that."

"Well, you can't expect me to do it," Shannon argued. "I've damaged my body enough today."

"So you just expect me to die out here in the cold?" Jason cried.

"That would be preferable," Shannon sniffed.

"Fine!" Jason shouted.

"Fine!" Shannon echoed.

And so the two of them spent the night with nothing to keep them safe, dry, or warm.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Shannon and Jason-**This is going to be a long summer.

_Author's Note: Another one down! I've put up a poll so you can let me know what I you'd like to see more of, this or Total Drama ReAction. And be sure to leave a review, I love hearing what you guys have to say._


	4. The Coral of The Story

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who voted on the poll. So far it's looking like a draw so I'll keep alternating between Stranded and ReAction (which was what I was planning to do anyways.) But I'll keep it up if you still want to vote._

_Oh, and a note on Author's Notes, whenever someone gets eliminated I'll do a little spiel on why I had to eliminate them But remember anyone can come back, so don't think that because I say a character didn't have a plot (or something like that) that doesn't mean that they can't come back._

"Welcome back to Total Drama Stranded," Chris greeted from his usual spot. "Last time the two teams went to war in a battle of Hide and Seek. Rusty found that he'd rather spend his time searching for the immunity idol, and he dragged Pamela along…which proved to be a bad idea on his part. Elijah sabotaged Briony's plan to make her look bad, but the Monster Mountains still won thanks to Sasha being able to hold off her opponents. Since it was a reward challenge, no one went home and the Monster Mountains will receive an advantage today. Today, however, is an elimination challenge, meaning somebody is going home. Who will it be? Pamela for screwing over her team? Calvin for getting on his team's nerves? Sasha because she's a freak? Or somebody else entirely? Find out soon!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Shannon stretched out from a painful sleep and walked over to the water.

"Ahh!" she cried.

"What is it?" Jason exclaimed. "Wolves? Bears? Monsters? I'm blind so I have no idea what you're screaming about."

"It's my face," Shannon cried. "It's filthy…and I think I'm getting a wrinkle. No! I can't, that's not possible."

"That's not important," Jason scoffed. "Now where's my idol?"

"You'll get your idol when you build a damn shelter!" Shannon yelled. "Here I'll show you where the trees are."

She tossed him towards a grove of trees.

"In case you need any more explanation," Shannon continued, "you take the wood and you use it to build a shelter. Get to work."

Shannon then marched into the forest with determination.

"This time, nothing is going to stop me from finding an idol," Shannon declared.

Not more than five steps in she was slapped in the face by a falling branch.

"Hey, cut it out!" she snapped. "I need my face."

She slapped the tree in frustration, but then found that she couldn't remove her hand.

"Oh no," she cried. "I'm stuck. Help, I'm stuck to a sap covered tree! Help!"

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

A cold was blowing through the camp. The sun hadn't risen yet, and the campers were shivering in their shelter. Matilda and Chelsea were both cuddling up against Garfield. Rusty tried to snuggle with Pamela, but she shoved him aside without even waking up. Riley had curled up into a ball and was getting comfy in a corner. Even the masked boy had joined the group in the shelter. The only contestant not asleep in the shelter was Esme who was outside staring upwards.

Once the sun started to crack through the sky, Garfield stirred and woke up. He noticed Esme standing outside and walked over to greet her.

"Hi there," he said. "How come you're up so early?"

"Do you ask a cat when it sleeps and when it wakes?" Esme replied ambiguously.

"Um…no, I guess not," Garfield answered as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Why should I sleep anymore in the night, than the day?" Esme continued.

"Okay, sorry I offended you," Garfield said uneasily as he backed away from her.

The others were slowly getting up too now. Matilda immediately bounced towards Garfield.

"Good morning, good sir," she giggled.

"Hello, Matilda," Garfield greeted. "Have you ever talked to Esme before?"

Matilda shuddered, "No, she's a little creepy."

"She's probably fine," Garfield said. "Still, the way she talks is kind of unsettling."

"Well, like, she's not winning any 'hot' points in my book," Matilda said as she shook her head. "Only 'not' points."

"Hey guys!" Chelsea exclaimed as she joined up with them. "Okay, here's an idea I had, we need blankets."

"Blankets would certainly be nice," Garfield agreed. "But I don't think we'll be getting any."

"Oh, I know, like, maybe we'll get some for a reward," Matilda exclaimed. "That would be just super-duper."

"That's possible," Chelsea said with a smile. "But how hard could it be to make them? You just take some leaves, vines, maybe a little mud."

"Mud?" Matilda gagged in repulsion. "I am not sleeping in mud…Oh, unless it's, like, one of those fancy, expensive mud-bath muds. That'd be really cool. We should totally get those."

The masked boy had already headed back to the river to fish for some more breakfast, but Desdemona was collecting berries from a nearby bush.

"Um, are you sure those aren't poisonous?" Chelsea asked nervously.

"Oh, these aren't for eating," Desdemona laughed. "No, I have a vision forming, but I need to form a portal with the other world."

She then squished the berries in her hands and let the red juice spill over her palm.

"Oh my," she exclaimed as she looked at the red mess.

"What's it say?" Matilda asked with excitement.

"It's a good sign," Desdemona declared. "I see victory in the future for us."

"That is nice," Esme interrupted. "But incorrect. There is only failure lined up for us."

Desdemona looked frustrated, but quickly covered it up.

"The spirits don't lie," Desdemona declared, "but they sometimes are unclear, and hide the truth. What actually qualifies for victory and failure may vary."

"Pfft, I'm with the creep here," Pamela scoffed. "The other team is going to have an advantage, we're all doomed to lose."

"If we're going to lose it'll be your fault," the masked boy hissed as he returned with fish. "You seem intent on ruining us all."

"You're already ruined," Pamela scoffed. "I'm just speeding up the process."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**(looking at her palm) Ah man, I really should have thought this through better, now I'm going to be sticky all day. And what is that Esme's deal? She's copying my gimmick and she'll ruin me if she keeps it up.

**Rusty-**Oh we're losing again, already, I'll make sure of it. Then we can vote out that masked weirdo…or maybe the gypsy girl. Of course, I can always depend on Pamela to help screw things up (sighs.) I love that girl.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The wind had reached up into the mountains as well. The shelter shook slightly, but no seemed to notice. No one, except Briony. With every creek and tremor she cowered slightly, and glanced around to make sure that the shelter was not caving in.

Over in Calvin's shelter, though, the three boys were wide awake. Calvin had called a meeting to discuss their strategy.

"We need to break one of those losers," he declared. "Stanley and Sasha seem capable of handling themselves, but I bet that Briony is pretty fragile inside. We need to focus her attention on her and destroy her. Once they fall apart, it shouldn't be too hard to convince Ilona and Misha to join up with us. But if Ilona is still being stubborn, there's no reason why we can't destroy her too."

"Hang on a second," Elijah interjected. "This might sound dumb, but why are we doing this again?"

"Because it's the way things work," Calvin declared. "If you show weakness you will get trampled. The only way to survive is to make sure that there is always somebody beneath you. And who better to take the fall than freaks, nerds, and losers."

"Huh, makes sense," Elijah said as he nodded.

"Hey, wasn't there another guy on our team?" Jojo asked. "He doesn't seem to part of either side."

"Oh, forget him," Calvin scoffed. "He's a loner. While not as bad as the others, he probably won't be of any use to us."

Unknown to any of them, Keith was currently in the bushes nearby taking notes. He scribbled down intently as he listened in on their conversation.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Hm, they've got an interesting plan going on. It seems a little cruel for so early in the game though. If it were later in the game when it was more important, I would understand their reasoning, but right now seems a little unnecessary. Oh well, I'll watch and see how it plays out.

* * *

Soon everyone on the Monster Mountains were waking up.

"I'll go get food today," Misha declared. "Berry picking sounds like so much fun."

"Are you sure?" Ilona asked. "This won't be a walk in the park, you're in the wilderness here—"

"I'm sure," Misha said with perhaps too much force.

"Don't worry, I shall come too," Sasha added. "Fair Princess Misha shall need a vanguard to guide her through the woods."

"Um…okay, if you say so," Misha said.

Ilona, Briony, and Stanley then spread out over the camp. Ilona went through her routine stretches, while Stanley and Briony sat down on some rocks.

"There's Briony now," Calvin whispered to Jojo. "Go over there and give her a hard time."

"Right," Jojo said as juggled a baseball. "I'll get right on it."

"Now," Calvin ordered.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," Jojo said as he kicked the ball into Calvin's hands.

He then approached Briony with a cruel grin on his face. Unfortunately for him, he had to pass Stanley first.

"Hi Jojo," Stanley said with a flirtatious smile. "I must say, you're looking sexy this morning."

"Eurgh," Jojo exclaimed as he immediately turned back.

"What happened?" Calvin snapped.

"I'm not going anywhere near him," Jojo declared in disgust.

"Let me show you how it's done," Calvin sighed.

He then tossed the baseball directly at Briony. She turned her head just in time to have it connect directly with her forehead.

"Ow!" Briony cried.

Calvin, Jojo, and Elijah all burst into a fit of laughter. It didn't last long, though.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ilona snapped. "Briony is minding her own business and you can't even leave her alone."

"I'm not interested in talking to you," Calvin scoffed as he turned away.

"Hey!" Ilona snapped as she grabbed onto his collar and held him up. "I don't like using violence, but you are not making it very easy for me."

Calvin was unfazed.

"Jojo, get rid of her please," he ordered.

"Time to go," Jojo declared as he grabbed onto Ilona and carried her away.

"Put me down, you can't treat me like this!" Ilona shouted.

"Evidently I can," Jojo remarked as he tossed her to the ground.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Briony-**I'm not mad…okay, I'm mad, but I'm not furious. And that's because I know I'll go on to huge success, and they'll all be voted out one after another.

**Ilona-**If I wanted to, I could take down Jojo easily, but I refuse to fight with my own teammates like that. Instead I'll simply vote for Calvin at the first opportunity I get. That's the only recognition he deserves.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

By now the fish had been cooked and many of the contestants were enjoying their breakfast. However, some of them decided to depart sooner than later.

"I'm not spending any more time than I have to with you people," Pamela sneered as she took her meal and headed off into the forest.

"Yeah…what she said," Rusty added as he followed after.

The masked boy left next. Silently he drew back and wandered off on his own.

"Alright, fish," Riley exclaimed as he finally woke up.

"This one's yours," Chelsea declared. "You'll just need to make sure you remove some of the bones."

"Ah man, I've got to work to get food?" Riley sighed in frustration. "Can't someone else do it?"

"Um, excuse me, but like, have you done anything for us yet?" Matilda scoffed. "No, so like, we totally don't need to start slaving over you."

"I thought we were a team," Riley argued. "Teams are supposed to help each other out. Come on."

"Don't worry, I'll give you a hand with it," Garfield offered.

As they continued to eat, Chelsea tried to bring up conversation with Desdemona.

"So, these voices you hear, what do they sound like?" Chelsea asked.

"They're beautiful," Desdemona exclaimed. "It's like a choir of golden voices."

"Incorrect, again," Esme declared. "Voices that reach out only do so because they are trapped and tortured. They always speak in anguish and regret."

The various eyes looked back and forth from Esme to Desdemona.

"Well, I think I know what I'm hearing," Desdemona insisted. "You must be just imagining things…now if you'll excuse me I need to give my tarot cards some fresh air."

Once she was out of earshot Matilda asked, "Tarot cards need air?"

"No, they do not," Esme answered.

"'Kay, just wondering," Matilda replied.

Meanwhile, Desdemona had tracked down the masked boy.

"Hi there," she greeted.

"Hello," he replied curtly.

"You left so suddenly, what was that about?" Desdemona asked.

"I just prefer to be alone," the boy replied. "I've been like that all my life."

"Really, that's a shame, there are some really nice people on our team," Desdemona said.

The masked boy replied, "True, but-"

"But I had this vision last night," Desdemona continued. "The great Owl of Knowledge spoke to me, and whenever the Owl of Knowledge speaks to you, you know it's important. So, he told me that there is a dark soul residing inside of Esme. Only bad things will happen if she stays."

"Hm, really?" the masked boy replied without show any sign of belief or denial. "Well, I know who's got my vote when we lose: Pamela. I know for a fact that she's bad news."

"But the great Owl of Knowledge's word is a fact," Desdemona insisted.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**That wasn't a full lie. Bad things _will _happen if Esme stays. For one, I'll be revealed and eliminated.

* * *

Both teams heard a loud fog horn blare and interrupt their mornings. It was immediately followed by an amplified voice of Chris McClean.

"Campers, we've got another challenge to get to," he announced. "Meet me down by the Dock of Shame!"

"Ah man, not more walking," Riley groaned to his team.

"Seriously, every time you whine you're just dropping down another hotness point," Matilda scolded. "And it's a shame too, because you could be pretty hot if you tried."

The team left behind the camp with Rusty and Pamela bringing up the rear.

"So, how do you plan to sabotage them this time?" Rusty asked.

"Actually I thought that I'd be a good girl and do exactly as I'm told and apologize for all the mean things I said," Pamela replied.

"Ha, very funny," Rusty scoffed.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The team was carefully climbing back down the mountain.

"Alright guys, I don't want you to cause any more problems," Ilona declared. "This is a challenge and we need to take it seriously."

"Would this count as a problem?" Jojo asked as he stomped down on Briony's hand.

"Ah!" she cried as Jojo dug his cleat into her hand.

Eventually he let go and Briony and tumbled downward painfully. Ilona narrowed her eyes and delivered a kick between Jojo's legs. He squeaked in pain before tumbling after Briony. Calvin couldn't help smirking.

"Not one word from you," Ilona threatened, "or else you're next."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**I know I said that I would hold back on the physical violence, but I couldn't keep it in that time.

**Misha-**Ilona's got the right idea, this team needs more discipline. I'd deliver it myself, but…you know.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

The eighteen campers arrived at the dock together.

"Where's Chris?" Calvin asked.

"Out here!" Chris called from out on the lake.

The host arrived on a small fishing boat.

"Welcome to your first immunity challenge as teams," Chris announced. "For this challenge, you'll be exploring the depths of the lake in search of the rare and beautiful…crystal coral!"

He received a chorus of 'oohs' before Matilda asked, "Um, what's the crystal coral?"

"Behold!" Chris exclaimed as he held out a photo.

The picture was taken underwater and somewhat blurry, but there was one clear item in the center. It was a small stump that shone bright white.

"Scientists are still trying to define what it is," Chris continued to explain. "All that we know is it's a natural phenomenon that has only appeared in this area. It's hidden somewhere underwater, and both teams are going to go searching for it. The first to bring it up to their fishing boat will win immunity. But first, you'll notice that we've allowed a small exception in the rule of no buildings."

Chris gestured to a tiny box of a stall covered by only a flimsy towel.

"You can get changed into your swimming gear in there," Chris explained. "Then we'll discuss the challenge further."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**(she is wearing a matching blue top and bottom) We're going swimming, this time we're winning, don't try and doubt it, just hear me shout it!

**Desdemona-**(she is dressed exactly the same) Hm, if I take off my outfit it might ruin the effect (sighs.) The things I do to win.

* * *

Once all the contestants we're in their swimming suits, they noticed that Chris had brought in another boat.

"Alright campers, as I was saying," Chris continued, "each team will be on one of these boats and will search the lake for the crystal coral. Four of you will be going underwater while the other five will stay on the boat where they will have to make sure no nasty creatures get too close."

"Um…what kind of nasty creatures are we talking about?" Briony shivered.

"Well, the usual sharks, octopuses, and eels," Chris shrugged. "Plus we brought in some weird things like a giant squid and fish that were presumed extinct years ago."

Briony paled.

"Moving on," Chris continued. "Since the Monster Mountains won the reward challenge they will be given this state of the art scuba gear. It's completely comfortable and easy to maneuver. It has a nearly limitless supply of oxygen. Also it's attached with new technology that allows you to communicate underwater."

"Sounds like we're on easy street," Stanley laughed.

"Does it come with anything to keep away sharks?" Briony asked.

"Nope, that would make things less exciting," Chris laughed.

"And what do we get?" Chelsea asked. "I'm sure it's nothing too bad."

Chris pulled out an old, dirty, bulky completely obsolete atmospheric diving suit.

"That's what we have to wear?" Matilda asked incredulously. "That is so not hot."

"I think it suits you," Pamela laughed. "In so many ways."

"Like, shut up!" Matilda snapped.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Matilda-**(She is wearing a thin two piece suit) If this is the punishment for losing, then, like, we'd better stop doing that. I can't believe that I have to be seen in that unhot piece of junk!

* * *

(Later, Monster Mountains)

The two teams were on their boats now. Both of them were spreading out further into the lake. Briony was glancing over the edge nervously. Calvin noticed her and nudged Jojo who got the message. He moved to shove Briony, before Ilona grabbed his wrist.

"Don't you dare," she growled.

Briony had left the spot by the time Ilona released Jojo.

"Ah, this is truly an amazing voyage!" Sasha announced happily. "We are entering the land of sirens and mermaids where few sailors return, yet we must continue. For the Good King McClean needs the enchanted coral, without it there can be no kingdom."

"So, these sirens and mermaids," Elijah asked, "where might a guy find one?"

"Elijah, stop talking to her!" Calvin snapped.

"Right, right, sorry," Elijah apologize.

Stanley meanwhile had crept over to Jojo, who was now in a pair of red swimming trunks.

"Well, now that I can see you with your shirt off I can say that I know for a fact that you're hot," Stanley exclaimed.

"Eck, get away from me!" Jojo exclaimed as he tried to cover his body. "You're…like…a freak…and stuff and…stop looking at me!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**(he's in plain grey shorts) I've got Jojo on a leash. As soon as I'm start flirting with him, his brain stops functioning properly. It's really quite fun, and I'm sure to use it to my advantage.

**Jojo-**You know what, maybe if he wasn't so open I could tolerate him a little more. I mean, you don't see me going around shouting, "I'm straight!" every five minutes.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Okay guys, are you ready to win?" Chelsea cheered. "For real this time!"

"I'd be cool with losing," Rusty laughed. "That we I could vote you right out of here."

"Learn to count, Rusty," Chelsea scoffed. "I've got at least three friends here, you're one you."

"Ha ha, that's where you're wrong!" Rusty exclaimed. "For I have my alliance with Pamela."

"I never agree to that," Pamela remarked as she shoved Rusty aside.

"Well…you're going to vote her off, right?" Rusty said.

"Maybe I want to vote you off," Pamela said with a taunting grin. "But you're not off the hook either, cheerleader, I'd love to see you cry your way off the island."

"Guys, guys, no one needs to vote anyone off if we just focus on winning here," Garfield exclaimed. "So let's get to it."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**(She's wearing a garbage bag as a swimsuit) Who would be more satisfying to see walk the dock? Rusty is so full of himself, but Chelsea is so goody-goody. They both sicken me.

**Rusty-**(He is wearing short orange shorts) That cheerleader actually brought up a good point. But hey, maybe I'll find the immunity idol when we're diving. That would be sweet.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"So who will be diving and who's staying on the boat?" Ilona asked.

"You can't make me go down there," Briony exclaimed. "I'm staying right up here where it's safe."

"Okay, you're staying on the ship," Ilona declared. "Who else?"

"I shall journey to the mysterious depths," Sasha exclaimed. "No beast shall get the best of the valiant Lady Sasha!"

"I think I'll go too," Calvin declared. "But Jojo and Elijah are going to be staying up."

"We are?" Elijah asked.

"Yes," Calvin answered.

"Whatever you say," Elijah replied.

Ilona narrowed her eyes at Calvin who just smiled a cheeky grin at her.

"Well, if Jojo's staying then I'm going to stay with him," Stanley declared. "Maybe if I fall in the water he'll have to give me mouth to mouth resuscitation."

"I'd like to change my position," Jojo said as he inched away from Stanley.

"Oh no, you don't," Calvin ordered.

"I'll go down too," Misha offered. "I'm not too bad a swimmer."

"And I will come as well," Ilona concluded. "Where's Keith?"

"Who cares?" Jojo scoffed.

"Well if you find him, let him know that he's staying on the ship," Ilona said. "For the rest of us, let's suit up."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**(she is in a blue one piece suit) I see what Calvin is up to. He's sending Jojo and Elijah to stick with Briony, but he's going to follow Sasha. Well I'll look after Sasha, I just hope that Stanley can keep Briony safe.

**Calvin-**(he is in white and grey shorts) Yeah, I don't exactly trust Elijah to follow out my orders on his own. He seems loyal, but a bit airheaded at times, that's why I had to send Jojo as well.

**Misha-**(she is in a pink full body wetsuit) Ugh, I hate being modest. I'm a damn good swimmer, and I could probably win this challenge on my own if I had to. This had damn well better pay off.

**Briony-**(She is in an old, large beige one piece suit) I thought that my with my brain I could survive this game, yet it's the physical stuff that's really getting to me. There are so many ways to die out here it's nerve-wracking.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"So, who wants to do the diving?" Chelsea asked. "In the junky suit."

"Not me!" Riley exclaimed immediately. "All this motion is making me a little dizzy, I think I need to sit down."

"Just remember if you're staying on the top then you're in charge of keeping us safe," Chelsea reminded him.

"Yeah right," Riley scoffed. "They'll be four other people, I'll let them handle."

"It's probably for the best that I stay up too," Desdemona said. "My dress is an heirloom from my Italian ancestors and if I removed it, that may offend some of the spirits."

Esme seemed ready to argue, "That—"

"Don't want to hear it," Desdemona interrupted.

"Okay, so you two will be on the top," Chelsea declared. "What about the rest of you?"

"I'd be up for going diving," Garfield said. "It may not be the most up to date technology, but it'll be an authentic experience at least."

"Well, if you're going then I guess I could tolerate it," Matilda declared.

"And I'd hate to be separated from you guys," Chelsea added.

"Well, I'm not putting that thing on," Pamela declared.

"I'm with her," Rusty added.

"So am I," said the masked boy. "I'm not letting my eyes off of her."

"Then that leaves Esme to go diving with us," Chelsea declared. "Um…Esme, where'd you go?"

"In here," an echoing voice said from one of the suits. "Hurry up."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**A little truth never hurts. I do have ancestry in Italy and that is where this dress comes from. Not that the spirits actually care though…or exist for that matter.

**Masked Boy-**(he is dressed the same as always) I don't think people realize how much trouble Pamela really is. She sabotaged me in coldblood last time. I am going to prove why she needs to go if she tries it again.

* * *

(Monster Mountains, Divers)

The four divers descended down through the deep water. Like Chris has promised, their suits felt incredibly light on their bodies and made movement very easy. They also soon discovered that they had built in lights that allowed them to examine their surroundings. Ilona shone her light around her and saw various fish of all different colours and sizes swimming around her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Sasha exclaimed.

"It really is," Ilona agreed.

"Yeah, those fishies are pretty," Misha forced a laugh. "But we should probably start looking for that coral thingy."

"Agreed," Calvin said.

"Keep your eyes on the ground," Ilona suggested. "I doubt it'll be floating through the water."

The four continued to swim through the dark water. They saw various other beautiful and exotic fish and plants.

"Ooh!" Sasha exclaimed as she swam after a large turtle. "Greetings, Wise Turtle, you have a lovely home."

"I'm surprised that Chris got so many different exotic fish," Misha noted.

"Maybe some of them already live here," Ilona suggested. "The waters are some of the most unexplored parts of the world, no one really knows what you'll find if you look hard enough."

"Like the crystal coral, maybe," Calvin prodded.

* * *

(Monster Mountains, The Boat)

Keith was currently getting comfortable in one of the small life-rafts.

"Yeah, this is comfy," he muttered to himself as he sat down. "And I've got the perfect listening point to hear how everything plays out."

He pulled out his notebook and prepared to start writing down.

Up on the deck, Briony had found the crates of supplies that Chris had left them.

"Let's see, flares, harpoons," she muttered as she rummaged through the boxes. "Whatever this is."

She blared a blasting airhorn and immediately cringed.

"I don't know if I trust you guys with any of this stuff," she remarked. "But I'm most certainly not going to be doing it."

"Don't worry, Briony," Elijah said as he approached. "Calvin was just making us do all that mean stuff. With him gone, we can be friends."

"Really?" Briony asked.

"No!" Elijah laughed as he swiped at the airhorn and blasted it in Briony's face.

"Let me try that," Jojo laughed as he took the airhorn from Elijah.

"Looking good, Jojo," Stanley commented. "Personally I'd have taken the harpoon though. There's just something about a guy with a long pointy stick."

"Leave me alone!" Jojo cried as he dashed in the opposite.

"You can't hide from me," Stanley laughed before shooting a wink at Briony.

* * *

(Raging Rivers, Divers)

The process of descending into the water was slow and steady. The four divers felt like they were stuck in some tiny elevator with no control of where they were going.

"We're almost there," Garfield tried to say, but since they're suits lacked that capability it just sounded like, "Mmph glub gmlp."

Eventually they landed, yet that didn't make movement any easier. With each step they tried to take, they found that the suit wouldn't move with them.

"Ghmlf," Matilda exclaimed as she tripped and fell.

She tried to get back up on her feet, but was unable to.

"Help, I can't get up," she tried to cry but instead only said, "Mmn plpl glhh."

Garfield moved to try and help her, but he motioned to lean over, he stumble to the ground too.

"Mnsmy," he gargled which was probably his way of saying, "Sorry."

"Ghng th hynjs," Chelsea exclaimed, or what she meant was, "Hang on guys."

Chelsea was very careful to make sure that she did not stumble to the ground as well. Slowly she lifted them up and back onto their feet. It was then that they realized they had another problem: They couldn't see anything.

"Is there a light?" Garfield tried to ask through glubs.

Chelsea tapped on her helmet, hoping to find some sort of light switch, but nothing happened.

"Where's Esme?" she asked, which sounded more like, "Gohj Esme?"

The area was dimly lit up as a glowing eel swam past them.

"Hmh!" Matilda exclaimed as she pointed at the eel.

The three got the message and followed the creature as fast as they could. Which was not fast at all.

* * *

(Raging Rivers, The Boat)

Rusty was going through the crates, but he was hoping to find something that would help him sabotage his team.

"Let's see, what shall we do, my dear Pamela?" he asked. "We could use this to put a hole in the ship…but then, we'd get wet too and that wouldn't be pleasant. What do you think?"

"You do realize that The Phantom of The Opera is listening in on your every word, right?" Pamela pointed out as she gestured toward the masked boy standing nearby them.

"Bah, he doesn't scare me," Rusty scoffed. "I've got the harpoon!"

"Not anymore," Pamela exclaimed as she took it out of his grip.

"Hey give it back!" Rusty pouted.

"Tut, tut, who's got the power now?" Pamela mocked as she pointed the harpoon at his stomach.

Meanwhile, Desdemona was sitting down next to Riley. Riley had gotten comfortable in an foldable chair and seemed ready to go right to sleep.

"Hey, how about a trick?" Desdemona asked.

"I'm not really in the mood," Riley replied. "I'd rather just enjoy the sun."

"Oh, you don't even have to do anything," Desdemona insisted. "Just pick a card."

"That's doing something," Riley whined. "But alright…"

He took a card from Desdemona's hand and showed it to her.

"Ah, the three of clubs," Desdemona exclaimed. "That's the 'Vote for Esme' card. If you get it, you have to vote for Esme."

"Another thing I have to do?" Riley moaned. "Fine, I'll do it, now let me get some shuteye."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Masked Boy-**Hm, it seems like Rusty may actually be the mastermind. I shall have to look into this further.

**Desdemona-**Some people are hard to fool. Riley is not one of them.

* * *

(Monster Mountains, Divers)

The four glided through the water smoothly. They had come to a dip in the ground which was full of plantlife.

"The coral could be anywhere in here," Calvin remarked in frustration.

"It shouldn't be too easy to miss though," Ilona nodded. "By the picture Chris showed us, it looks pretty radiant."

As the four spread out, Calvin followed after Sasha. He contemplated what he could do to her, when Ilona intercepted him.

"Don't even think about it," she threatened.

Calvin just scowled and moved away from her. The four of them continued to search with no avail. Sasha, however, found something else that piqued her interested.

"A cave!" she exclaimed. "Surely this must be the home of a Sea Witch. Perhaps she has hidden the enchanted coral within there."

She eagerly swam into the gaping hole.

"Sasha, wait!" Ilona exclaimed. "Don't lose us."

Ilona followed after her into the cave. Misha and Calvin continued to search though.

"Those two are just wasting time in there," Calvin scoffed. "Sasha really needs to focus more."

"Mm," Misha replied neutrally.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**If I want to deal with Ilona I'll probably have to bring my muscleman, Jojo. But whatever, it's Briony who I want to crush first.

**Misha-**I don't care for anyone on my team, but out of all them I can say that I probably hate Calvin the least. He and I seem to think alike.

* * *

(Monster Mountains, The Boat)

Elijah was continuing to hassle an increasingly irritable Briony.

"Hey, hey, I got your glasses," Elijah mocked as he swiped them off of her face.

"Give those back, you jackass!" Briony shouted. "I have bad depth perception."

She tried to punch him, but went way off course and ended up hitting Stanley instead.

"Oops, sorry," Briony apologized.

"I think you'd better give those back to her," Stanley said. "She could get hurt…or I could get hurt, for that matter."

"But that's what makes it so funny," Elijah laughed. "Hey, Jojo, catch…huh, where's Jojo?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Briony scoffed. "Obviously he's hiding from Stanley. And who wouldn't be after that…no offense, Stan."

"None taken," Stanley said with a smile.

Jojo was currently hiding in the life-boat with Keith.

"I don't see what you're so afraid of," Keith said to him. "You're bigger and stronger than Stanley."

"That's not the point," Jojo whispered. "Stanley has like some demented crush on me. He's probably picturing me naked every time he sees me. And look at me, I'm in nothing but shorts."

"Okay, fair enough, I guess," Keith shrugged. "He seems pretty harmless to me, though."

"Yeah, well you're not the one he has a crush on," Jojo replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**Do I have a crush on Stanley? Let's see, he's rude, he's mean, he's homophobic, and really he's not _that_ hot. So no. But don't tell him that, it'll spoil the fun.

**Keith-**Jojo may be big and strong physically, but clearly he lacks psychological strength. That's going to cost him later on, he'll be far too easy to manipulate.

* * *

(Raging Rivers, The Boat)

Rusty was now fooling around with a sonar device.

"Let's see, how does this work?" he muttered to himself. "It's beeping…is that good or bad? What are these symbols?"

"Hey guys," Desdemona exclaimed as she walked over to join them.

"What do you want?" Pamela sneered.

"Nothing, nothing," Desdemona assured. "But if we lose, wanna vote out Esme?"

"I'm down with that," Rusty said.

"Would it make you happy to vote her out?" Pamela asked.

"Oh goodness, no," Desdemona exclaimed. "It's simply that I've seen into her soul and—"

"Blah, blah, blah, whatever," Pamela scoffed.

"Oh, look at this!" Rusty exclaimed. "I've found something big…something really big…something massively big!"

"Should we do something about it?" Desdemona asked.

"No," the masked boy exclaimed. "It probably hasn't even noticed the others yet. If we tried to attack it with what we have, it'll only annoy it."

"Oh, I like the sound of that," Rusty cackled. "Some hideous beast roughing up our good friend, the cheerleader."

Rusty picked up a pile of flares and held it over the water.

"Don't you dare," the masked boy barked. "I will make you regret it."

"Oops," Rusty laughed as he dropped the flares into the water.

All it once they exploded into a bright mess.

"That's it, you are going to pay for that," the masked boy exclaimed as he charged at Rusty.

"Oh, I think not," Rusty retorted. "Pamela, you've got the harpoon, take him out."

"Hmm…nah," Pamela replied as she tossed the harpoon into the water. "Good luck, though."

The masked boy then tackled Rusty to the ground.

"Fine, I'll give you a fight," Rusty exclaimed as he started to struggle with his attacker.

Pamela smirked at the two of them, while Desdemona just shook her head.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Let me just set this straight, I hate every person here. I'm not going to help one over the other. I do what I want, and I what I think will make them the most miserable.

**Masked Boy-**I'm really not sure what Pamela's game is, but I appreciate her not spearing me with a harpoon.

* * *

(Raging Rivers, Divers)

The three were still struggling to move. The dim light of the eel was steadily departing and soon they'd be lost in the dark again.

"Do you guys see any coral?" Matilda asked in glub language.

"Nope," Chelsea replied to what she assumed Matilda's question was.

The three then heard a deep croak and went silent.

"What was that?" Garfield tried to ask.

All of a sudden a burst of light filled the entire area. In a flurry of red glow all of the flares exploded into a violent mess. However, what was really terrifying was what happened next. Gargantuan tentacles stretched out from a nearby chasm.

"Ahhh!" all three of them scream, no translation was necessary.

They tried to run, but their suits prevent that. There was no escape from the furious tentacles. Chelsea squealed in terror as a massive tentacle wrapped itself around her. She tried to scream as it tightened around her. Garfield tried to reach out to her, but he was grabbed by another tentacle. Matilda was frozen, either with fear or simply because her suit wasn't working. She soon joined her companions as they were dragged towards the chasm. The creature let out another angry croak as the three contestants were suck down into an abyss.

* * *

(Monster Mountains, Divers)

Sasha swam through the tunnel with zeal. Ilona was not far behind her, but she couldn't slow down. Eventually, however, Ilona caught a break when Sasha suddenly stopped.

"Aha!" Ilona exclaimed as she caught up with her. "You shouldn't just bolt off like that. We need to stick together."

However, Sasha didn't seem interested in what Ilona was saying. Instead she was focusing upwards. Ilona looked up too and gasped in surprise. Just above them the water ended and became a dry cavern. Sasha curiously climbed up and Ilona followed.

"Amazing," Sasha breathed as she removed her helmet.

The entire cavern shined like crystal. Stalagmites and Stalactites looked like diamonds bursting out of the ground. Sasha continued to explore and soon found another wonder. In the center of the cave was a garden of various exotic, and rare flowers.

"This must be another natural phenomenon," Ilona said in awe.

"It is a gift from King Neptune," Sasha declared. "We should make the most of this gift."

A part of Ilona knew that she should find the crystal coral and head back, yet something about the mystic cave blocked that part of her mind and allowed her to relax.

"I suppose we could spend a few minutes," Ilona said as she sat down in the garden.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sasha-**(She is in a flowery pink swimsuit) Commander Ilona is a good leader, she deserves a chance to enjoy such a wondrous gift.

**Ilona-**I feel really refreshed now. I certainly could use more time to relax, and something about that cave helped with that.

* * *

Meanwhile, Misha and Calvin continued to search the waters for the crystal coral. They worked in silent with their eyes focused on the ground. Suddenly, a large shadow encompassed them. They looked up to see a massive creature swimming above them. It looked like a whale, yet much more prehistoric. It's body looked like stone that was rotting away unevenly. With a swish of its tail it knocked both Misha and Calvin aside. The two of them went tumble through the water and crashed into the ground.

"Oh, you can going to pay for that," Misha growled to herself.

She then shot towards the creature like a rocket. She began punching and kick at its tail furiously. Yet the creature did not seem to notice her. With another flick of its tail it sent Misha right back to where she had come from. She growled with frustration and charged again. Calvin, meanwhile, had gone right back to looking for the crystal coral.

* * *

(Monster Mountains, The Boat)

Briony had taken to hiding in the life-boat now, while Jojo had risked stepping out.

"You know, you could fight back to these guys," Keith suggested to Briony.

"Yeah, if I want to lose my teeth and get a couple black eyes," Briony scoffed. "I know I'm no athlete, but I also know that they can't keep bothering me forever."

"Don't be too sure," Keith cautioned. "Do you think that you can hide from them forever?"

"Oh, they're going to be leaving soon," Briony declared. "We've already got Ilona to provide the physical work, and I can provide the brains. We don't need these nasty guys sticking around."

Keith nodded and took some more notes.

Meanwhile, the three boys on the deck had just realized that their team was under attack.

"We should probably do something," Elijah exclaimed as he watched some giant monster swim around the area.

"Let's see we've got harpoons, flares," Jojo suggested.

"I'm thinking this might be what we're looking for," Stanley declared before blaring the airhorn at the water.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**(He is in baggy blue shorts) Hm, Briony seems to lack self-esteem. She insists that she has strong brainpower, but I think she's just overcompensating. She's got to learn how to face her fears if she's going to have a hope at surviving out here.

* * *

(Raging Rivers, Divers)

The three had given up struggling by now, they couldn't escape the crushing grasp of the tentacles. Now they were just being pulled deeper and deeper into the darkness. However, they were able to make out something approaching from the distance. It looked like a human figure. An incredibly bulky human figure.

"Esme?" Chelsea breathed.

The tentacles seemed to tense up in her presence. Suddenly the campers weren't being pulled down anymore, they were simply being held in place. Esme walked slowly towards the beast. She reached out and placed her hand on one of its tentacles. The creature let out a low groan, then gradually released its grasp on the contestants. They all sighed in relief and desperately made their way out. They were still clumsy, but they didn't let that stop them this time.

When they were safely away from the creature, Chelsea exclaimed, "Ghnds klp dfs."

Which everyone understood as,"Let's get out of here."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Garfield-**(he is wearing golden shorts) I can't believe Esme did that. I don't even know how she did that. But I'm eternally grateful.

**Esme-**(She is in a full body translucent suit) That squid will not be bothering anyone ever again.

* * *

(Raging Rivers, The Boat)

When the four divers returned, they found the masked boy and Rusty wrestling on the floor.

"What is going on?" Chelsea demanded as she took off her helmet.

"This guy was trying to get you killed!" The masked boy declared as he stood up. "He dropped a bunch of flares because he knew that it would awaken that monster."

Chelsea glared with immense fury.

"Is this true?" she demanded.

"Saw it with my own eyes," Pamela remarked.

"Yeah, it's true," Rusty declared as he stood up. "And I don't regret a thing."

"I could have been killed!" Chelsea yelled.

"Yeah, right," Rusty scoffed. "As if Chris would actually use deadly means in a challenge. You we're probably just overreacting, girls tend to do that."

Pamela smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow," he moaned. "And besides, I don't see the crystal coral which means you're really the ones who blew it."

"Excuse me?" Chelsea snapped. "Maybe I could have gotten the coral if you hadn't set off the killer beast. And yes, it was trying to kill us."

Rusty opened his mouth to argue, but Chelsea wasn't done.

"I've made up my mind," Chelsea declared. "Unless by some miracle we win this challenge, you will be going home tonight."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**What's she gonna do? Heh…heh…I'm not going anywhere…right?

* * *

(Monster Mountains, Divers)

The large beast suddenly took off in the opposite direction. It seemed to be incredibly agitated by a loud, blaring sound and quickly made its escape.

"Yeah, you'd better run!" Misha yelled. "I was just getting started."

Before the creature left, it dipped its tail one last time. As it upturned some of the turn, Calvin gasped. There was a shining white object lying right in the dust.

"The crystal coral," he exclaimed. "We got it."

"What's going on?" Ilona asked as she arrived with Sasha.

"Oh, well, while you were wasting times playing in the caves, I just won this team another challenge," Calvin boasted. "I swear, where would you guys be without me?"

Ilona clenched her teeth, but remained silent.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**While there's a ton of guys I'd like to see gone from my team, I'm much happier seeing the other team go down in flames.

* * *

(Later, Dock of Shame)

"Well done, yet again, Monster Mountains," Chris exclaimed as Calvin presented the crystal coral proudly.

"Hey, we like, totally could have done better if you'd, like, give us some better suits or something," Matilda exclaimed.

"Well, maybe next time you'll think twice about losing a reward challenge," Chris taunted. "Anyways, it's elimination time for you guys. Since we're already at the Dock of Shame and the sun is just about setting, we'll do it before you head back. Monster Mountains, though, can head back to their campsite now."

The Monster Mountains broke off from the crowd and headed back in the direction of the mountain. For the most part, their spirits were high. Briony still seemed upset, though, as she trailed behind.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Briony-**Is it wrong to wish that we'd have lost? I mean, I suppose I should be happy, but this just means I'll have to spend more time with those three assholes. Oh well, I will get rid of them when the time comes.

* * *

(Elimination Ceremony)

The Raging Rivers sat on the edge of the Dock of Shame. Rusty sat on one end, while Pamela sat on the other. The rest of the group was bunched together. Chelsea had a smug look on her face, while Desdemona was shooting frequent glances at Esme.

"Well, Raging Rivers, it's time to lose your second member," Chris declared. "But who knows, perhaps with this loss, you're team will grow to be stronger…anyways, the first pinecone goes to…Desdemona!"

Desdemona gave a small smile as she accepted her pinecone.

"Plus, I've got one for Riley," Chris continued.

Riley put his hand up and caught it, without getting up from his sleeping position.

"Chelsea."

"Pamela."

"That masked guy."

"Garfield."

"Matilda."

Esme and Rusty remained. Rusty was trying to make himself look fearless, but he was clearly failing. Esme remained stoic as ever.

"This is the final pinecone of the night," Chris declared. "If you do not get this pinecone, then it's buh-bye for you. And this pinecone goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Rusty."

"Huh?" Chelsea exclaimed.

"Esme, you're team has voted you out," Chris declared.

"Wait, wait, this isn't fair," Chelsea exclaimed. "She saved us. It's Rusty who deserves to go."

"Chelsea, calm down, you're not the one who's leaving," Chris pointed out.

Esme stood up and walked slowly and dignified down the Dock of Shame. She stopped at the end and turned around.

"I have something to say," she declared. "You think that you just vote me off and I won't be your problem, but you cannot toss your true problems aside. Pamela, for instance, the only way you'll ever be happy is—Aieee!"

"Keep it short and simple people," Chris remarked as he launched Esme into the sky. "You may now return to your camp."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**The only way I'll ever be happy is if everyone else is _dead_! Got it?

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Well, we did good today, team," Ilona said to everyone as they arrived back at their camp.

"I think you mean _I_ did good," Calvin smirked. "The rest of you were just wasting time while I was winning the challenge for you."

"You know, if it wasn't for me, you'd be whale chow," Stanley pointed out.

"Don't be ridiculous," Calvin scoffed. "It was all thanks to Misha that that creature left. She really packs quite a punch."

"Well, I couldn't have him eating my friend," Misha said in her most cutesy voice she could manage.

"It's not important," Ilona declared. "What's important is that we don't need to betray each other to elimination tonight. So we can all just get along."

"Yeah, that's not happening," Calvin whispered to his group. "Tonight, the three of us are going to destroy their shelter."

"I know I'm a little slow, but why?" Elijah asked.

"To teach Ilona that she does now run this team," Calvin declared. "With no shelter, we'll be in a much better position. And then Ilona will have to beg me to make things easier for her."

"Oh, I like the sound of this plan," Elijah laughed.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"What happened?" Chelsea exclaimed. "This jackass tried to kill us, and you voted off the girl who saved us?"

"Well, it just seems like this is one jackass that you've underestimated," Rusty replied.

"Oh please, you thought as much as I did that you would be leaving," Chelsea retorted.

"Do not upset yourself, Chelsea," Desdemona consoled. "It was simply written in the stars that Esme must go. She was a dark seed."

"So it was you who got rid of her?" Chelsea accused.

"Not me, the fates," Desdemona said. "And the fates are never wrong, it was what was meant to be."

* * *

**Votes:**

**Chelsea-**I tried to play nice, Rusty, but you couldn't have any of that.

**Masked Boy-**While I still have my suspicions on Pamela, I feel that Rusty caused more damage today.

**Desdemona-**What's that Owl of Knowledge? Esme's leaving tonight? Whatever you say.

**Garfield-**Esme saved us, I'm not voting for her no matter how stranger she is. I'm sorry, Rusty, but you really blew it today.

**Esme-**Rusty.

**Riley-**Well, I was asleep for most of the challenge but I told that gypsy girl I'd vote for whoever Esme is so I'll go with that.

**Pamela-**Esme or Rusty? Well, if vote for Esme she probably won't mind, but everyone else will.

**Rusty-**Esme you scare me, and I can't have that, I'm supposed to be fearless here.

**Matilda-**Yeah, Esme, it's nice that you saved us and all, but the way you did it was way too creepy for my taste. I don't feel safe with a girl who can like control squids.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"Esme is gone," Chris declared. "It was a shock for some, yet for others it was fate predetermined. Next up, we'll see how Ilona and her group react to having their shelter destroyed, and of course Rusty is right back to his idol hunt. Be there or be square for the next episode of Total…Drama…Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"Let go of me you f**king tree!" Shannon screamed as she torn some of her flesh right off. "Ah, look what you did to my skin. When I get out of here, I'm going to date a lumberjack just so he can cut you down."

Shannon strode away from the tree in rage, but with another few steps she stumbled right into a hole.

"I hate you, Chris!" she screamed.

Meanwhile, on the beach Jason was putting the final touches on a shoddy shelter. It connected loosely and twigs were sticking out from all ends.

"There, that looks satisfactory," he declared. "Of course, I can't see it, but if I could it had better be satisfactory!"

"Aiiiee!" someone screamed from the sky.

"What the hell is that?" Jason shouted to no one in particular. "Some sort of crazy bird, a crashing plane, or—"

Esme came crashing down right on top of his shelter.

"Greetings," she said.

"You ruined my shelter!" Jason cried.

Esme looked down and remarked, "This was never a shelter."

_Author's Note: So long, Esme. This season already had enough kooky characters and she didn't bring as much as the others did. If you liked her though you will still see her on Not Quite Loser Island and she may even return._


	5. In Chris We Trust

"Previously on Total Drama Stranded," Chris announced dramatically. "The two teams competed as they searched for the rare and beautiful crystal coral. The Monster Mountains were given fancy new diving gear as part of their previous reward, while the Raging Rivers were stuck with old out of date suits. Both teams had their fair share of trouble among themselves. Rusty and Pamela sought to sabotage their own team, and let me tell you, this did not bode well with the others. Calvin sent his partners, Jojo and Elijah, to torment Briony, but Stanley ended up torturing Jojo a fair bit as well. While both teams ran into trouble underwater, it was Calvin who finally found the crystal coral and won immunity for his team. The Raging Rivers had to vote someone off and it was looking like it was going to be Rusty. However, Desdemona went to action in eliminating her biggest obstacle, Esme. Esme took the Spring of Shame and joined Jason and Shannon on Not Quite Loser Island. We've got much more drama to get to today so don't go anywhere!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Shannon and Jason shivered as they huddled together. They had built a sad excuse of a shelter to give them some protection. It was really no more than a collection of sticks and leaves quickly put together to make a small tent.

"Where's that new girl?" Jason asked. "She never makes a sound. Doesn't she know that blind people rely on sound?"

"She's just standing there staring out at the lake," Shannon remarked. "That's all she does."

"Does she know about the idols?" Jason asked.

"She read the sign," Shannon shrugged. "Either she thinks she'll find an idol in the water, or she just doesn't care."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Shannon-**Why couldn't they have sent me a guy? A fully functional guy. Not only is Esme immune to my charms, she's quite creepy too. Oh well, if she's not going to be put a fight for the idol then I won't complain.

* * *

Shannon left behind her poorly built shelter to once again search the savage jungle.

"Let's see," she muttered to herself. "Last time I went as far as that tree, so I'll start there this time."

She trampled over the wild vegetation as she made her way towards her goal. On the first couple of days she had been careful not to get dirty or step on anything poisonous. Yet she had still ended up filthy and covered with stings by the end of the day. By now she simply didn't care anymore.

After storming over several more shrubs and vines, she spotted something wonderful. Lying right out in the open was a small totem in the shape of Chris McClean's head.

"Yes!" she cheered. "I knew I'd find you sooner or later."

She walked over to grab the idol, yet it slinked away from her.

"Huh," she exclaimed.

It was then that she noticed the long pink tongue attached to the idol. The tongue slithered back with the idol into the body of a large, bulbous pink flower. The flower was a tropical pink colour with various vines growing out of it. With a final slurp it sucked down the idol.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Flower?" Shannon said as she batted her eyelashes. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind handing over that idol."

In response, the flower sent its tongue back out to wrap around Shannon.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Shannon asked uneasily. "I know my body is impossible to resist, but if you could first give me that idol."

The tongue tightened and soon the flower was pulling Shannon in close.

"Put me down," Shannon ordered. "I'm sorry, but I don't date flowers."

The flower continued to tug. Shannon tried to resist, but could not break free in time. All she could do was cry out as the flower swallowed her.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Once again, Calvin and his boys had gotten up early.

"It's time to teach Ilona and her chumps what their messing with," Calvin declared. "That shelter is going down."

The boys spread out around Ilona's shelter. Calvin purposefully pulled out supporting pieces that were sure to cause serious damage if remove. Jojo just seemed to be enjoying kicking and smashing where he could.

"Take this, and this," Elijah exclaimed as he slapped the wall harmlessly.

Pretty soon it started to tremble. The boys backed up and waited for it to come crashing down. Before that happened though, Ilona awoke.

"What is going on?" she moaned sleepily.

That was when the shelter came crashing down. Wood collapsed on top of the inhabitants of the shelter. The boys laughed as they victims cried up in shock and pain.

Misha, in confusion, exclaimed, "What the he…ckeroni was that?"

Ilona helped to lift the wood off of Stanley and Misha. Sasha, however, eagerly wormed out from her position.

"We are under attack!" she exclaimed. "Arm yourselves, troops, we must retaliate!"

"That's not a bad idea," Ilona grumbled as she marched over to the boys. "What is the big idea?"

"I'm sorry, Ilona, but we've decided that there is no room for a power struggle on this tribe," Calvin replied suavely. "You can either join me in my shelter, or suffer out here with no protection."

"Or, we can build a new shelter," Briony scoffed as she worked her way out of the fallen wood.

"Don't be so sure," Calvin smirked. "The three of us will be making things very difficult for you if you continue to resist."

"This is getting ridiculous," Ilona scoffed.

"We can put it all behind us," Calvin declared. "Just accept me as leader, and you and I can be friends."

"Calvin, leaders cannot be chosen, they prove themselves worthy," Ilona declared.

"Well, I'd say that destroying your shelter was a good display of what I can do, and what will continue to happen if you do not accept my offer," Calvin said as he turned to head back to his shelter.

"Morning, everyone," Keith exclaimed as he emerged from the forest. "What's happening?"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Nah, I knew exactly what was happening, I saw the whole thing. Stuff's really getting interesting now and it might be time for me to start making a few moves. Nothing big yet, though, Ilona and Calvin are doing a great job attracting all the attention already.

**Calvin-**Now, don't get the wrong idea, I don't enjoy making people suffer. But the simple fact is if you don't make the first strike, you will become the victim. And when the stakes are this high, I can't afford to be a victim.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The Rivers, unlike the other team, we're all able to awaken comfortably. The Masked Boy was about to go through with his usual routine of fishing when Garfield stopped him.

"What?" he asked curtly.

"I was just thinking that maybe I could take care of the food today," Garfield suggested. "I appreciate you doing it, but you shouldn't have to do it every day."

"Fine, whatever," the boy replied as he turned away from the river and off into the forest.

Garfield picked up a sharpened stick and began watching the water.

"Oooh, you know how to fish, Garfield?" Matilda exclaimed as she hopped over to him.

"With nothing but a pointy stick? No," Garfield laughed. "But I have been fishing before and I think I can figure it out."

"Say didn't you support a group that was, like, against eating fish?" Matilda asked.

Garfield smiled as he explained, "That was against farmed fish. Catching fish naturally is actually a good alternative."

"Ooh, I'm learning so much from you," Matilda giggled.

Chelsea was currently working on her blanket project. She had collected a variety of large leaves and was trying to find the best way to get them to stick together.

"Oh Riley, would you like to do a favor for me?" Chelsea called.

"Nope," Riley replied as he sat down under a tree.

Chelsea rolled her eyes as she said, "Look you have to do something. You can't just expect to get by without contributing at all to the team."

"I think I can," Riley said with a shrug. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"Um, you could be voted off," Chelsea pointed out.

"Last time I counted we had two sociopaths on our team," Riley retorted. "When they're gone, then maybe we can talk."

"Already fine, but I want you to listen to this cheer I wrote for you," Chelsea said. "Ahem, Riley, Riley, are you crazy, there's no way you'll win when you're so lazy. What you're going is wrong, and so you'll be gone, so—"

"Alright, alright, I'll go. Just cut it out," Riley conceded. "What do you want?"

"I need you to collect some sap from some of these trees," Chelsea said. "I'd suggest folding one of these big leaves like a cup."

"Ugh, so much work," Riley moaned. "I hope you realize what a nice person I am."

Rusty, meanwhile, had approached Desdemona.

"Hey there," he greeted. "Remember that favor I did for you yesterday?"

"I never forget anything," Desdemona replied, then paused. "What favor?"

"I went out of my way to vote for Esme, just like you asked," Rusty reminded.

"Ah, yes, so _you_ wouldn't get the boot," Desdemona added.

"Anyways, I think that the two of us could make good allies," Rusty said.

"I need no help getting myself ahead, for it had been predetermined," Desdemona replied. "But I suppose I could offer some assistance to you."

"Okay, so this is top secret so don't tell anyone," Rusty whispered, "but I am looking for the secret immunity idol."

"Really?" Desdemona replied as if she already knew as much.

"So if you see it, do you think you could send it my way?" Rusty asked. "I mean, it's not like you need it if you've already predetermined how far you'll get."

"I shall do what I can," Desdemona answered. "But perhaps this will provide you with the help you need."

She handed a small wooden top to Rusty.

"Uh, this is a top," Rusty scoffed. "How is this supposed to help me?"

"It is an enchanted trinket," Desdemona explained. "It'll lead you to what you need most."

"Really," Rusty said excitedly. "Thanks, crazy lady."

Pamela was the last to awaken. She made certain to steer clear of the others and simply made her way into the forest.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**Chelsea is so bossy. I mean, I need my rest, I'm a growing boy. If I strain myself I could stunt my growth…or something like that.

**Rusty-**I learned something important last night. And that is that I can never leave this game. I thought for sure that I blew it, but I didn't go. Well, the fates seem to like me and I've got the voice of the fates right on my side.

**Desdemona-**Rusty would make a terrible ally. He's already proven that he's nothing but trouble, and he'll end up eliminated soon. Luckily, no one even notices what 'crazy lady' Desdemona does. I wonder how long it'll take him to realize that that top doesn't do anything.

**Pamela-**I don't feel like bugging Rusty today. I think I just need a little time to myself now.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Well, we've got a lot of work to do," Ilona sighed as she looked at the mess of wood. "Who wants to get breakfast ready?"

"Oh, leave that to me," Keith offered. "I found a bush that was just full of plump, juicy blackberries."

"Thanks, Keith," Ilona said with a smile.

The five of them began collecting the sticks that used to make up their shelter.

"This time we need to follow my exact directions," Briony declared. "Once we do that, it won't fall apart so easily."

"Why don't we just accept Calvin's offer?" Misha whispered to Ilona. "Those three boys are strong workers, it would make sense to stick with them and vote off the weaker member."

"No, Misha, you don't understand," Ilona sighed as she shook her head. "Calvin will only make things more difficult even if we side with him. Besides Stanley, Briony, and Stanley have all already proven their worth to me."

Misha nodded, "You're right, that makes sense. Sorry."

Briony was collecting a small bundle of wood under her arm, but she was taken off guard by Jojo. The jock shoved her aside as he scooped up all the wood that he had dropped.

"Great, we could use some more firewood," he exclaimed.

"Put that down," Ilona ordered.

"Make me," Jojo taunted as he ran off with the wood.

Ilona groaned as she charged after him. Jojo shot a glance back and realize that Ilona was fast catching up on him. He swerved to the right. He arrived at the edge of the mountain and tossed the wood over the edge.

"Ha, you lose," he laughed.

Ilona kicked him in the shin in frustration before returning to her group.

"Breakfast is served," Keith announced as he gave everyone a large handful of blackberries.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about these," Stanley exclaimed. "You rock, Keith."

"I try," Keith said with a smile.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**'No, Misha, you don't understand,' God, I f**king hate her. I mean, who the hell does she think she is, my mother? Well, my mother always told me 'survival of the fittest.'

**Elijah-**It's pretty disappointing that I don't have a great selection of girls on my team. Briony and Sasha are out, and I would feel weird making out with Misha. Ilona's pretty hot, but Calvin says she's off limits since she's 'the enemy.'

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The team was sitting down for breakfast now. Garfield hadn't been able to catch as many fish as the masked boy, but he had caught enough for everyone.

"So, Chelsea, like, how is that blanket coming?" Matilda asked.

"It's…coming," Chelsea answered. "It would be coming along a lot faster if Riley actually got around to bringing me some sap, but I guess I can't complain since he's actually doing work."

"Well, I was thinking that we should take this morning to get to know each other a little more," Garfield suggested. "Who knows, anyone of us could be voted out at the next immunity challenge."

"Not likely," Chelsea scoffed.

"Don't be so sure, you seemed pretty certain that Rusty would leave yesterday," Garfield said.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Chelsea moaned. "But I am up for learning some more about you guys. Like Garfield, you mentioned you had a little brother."

"That's right," Garfield replied. "Timothy's a little go getter too. He's going to be doing big things one day."

"What about the rest of your family?" Chelsea asked.

"Well, I think you know my parents," Garfield said with a shrug.

"Oh totally," Matilda exclaimed. "Your mom just passed a law against smoking in libraries, and your dad just starred in that movie about Dracula going to space."

"That's them," Garfield chuckled. "What about you, Chelsea?"

"I've got three sisters, all older," Chelsea answered. "Tracy, Stacy, and Macy. They're all married and move out now, though, so I don't see them as much. They did leave me with some still fashionable hand-me-downs though."

"And you Matilda?" Garfield asked. "Any siblings?"

"Nope, I'm an only child," Matilda replied. "I can't complain, though. All my clothes is always firsthand, so it's always, like, right in fashion."

Rusty had once again gone exploring. He chewed on his share of a fish, and spun the top in the dirt.

"Come on, little fellow, where is it?" he coaxed.

"What are you doing?" Riley asked as he approached Rusty.

"Uh…none of your business," Rusty snapped.

It was then that Rusty noticed Riley's hands stepped to be stuck in a prayer position.

"Um, what's with your hands?" Rusty asked.

"I accidentally glued them together," Riley sighed.

"I…see," Rusty replied.

In another part of the forest, Pamela paced by herself. She stopped, though, when she heard someone approaching. She twirled around to see the masked boy standing behind her.

"Hi," he said.

"Beat it," she sneered.

"Look, I just wanted to say," the boy said awkwardly, "thanks for not trying to hurt me yesterday…I thought—"

"Don't be stupid, if I wanted to spear you through the gut, I would," Pamela scoffed. "I just didn't because Rusty was bothering me at the moment. But let me get something straight, you are no more my friend than he is. Nothing would satisfy me more than to see the both of you launched out of here screaming."

"Why are you being so mean?" the masked boy asked. "I thought that at least you and Rusty were friends, but you're purposefully trying to make everyone hate you."

"No, I just hate everyone," Pamela declared.

"What do you mean, 'everyone?'" the masked boy asked.

"Everyone!" Pamela yelled. "The world, the human race, you're all horrid. In fact, I don't even need to explain myself to you. I said to get lost and you're still here."

"Fine, I'm leaving," the boy said as he turned to leave.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I don't know what's gotten into that boy's head, but I am nobody's friend. I do I know will hurt them because they deserve it. Every last one of them!

**Masked Boy-**I think there's more to Pamela than I first thought. Still the fact remains that she is making an effort to ruin our lives so I will have no qualms with voting her off.

* * *

"Hello, campers!" Chris announced from his helicopter. "I've got another special delivery for you."

Once more Chris dropped a television set down into both camps. His face appeared on the screen as it lit up.

"Time for your next reward challenge," the Chris on the screen declared. "While there are many different religions in the world, on this island I am God. Therefore, both teams will be making a monument in my honour. You have until the end of the day. The one that I find more satisfactory will earn another advantage for the winning team. This message will not self-destruct."

As promised, the TV did nothing but shut off.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**I knew Chris was egotistical, but declaring himself God seems like a bit much.

**Matilda-**Oh, this is, like, such a perfecto challenge for me. I know sooo much about fashion that I'll make, like, the most styling monument ever.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Okay, team, what resources do we have?" Chelsea asked.

"Wood, leaves, flowers," Garfield suggested.

"Sap," Riley added as he was finally able to tear his hands apart.

"Okay, this is all good," Chelsea noted. "I think I'm seeing a picture of what we're going to do. We're going to have to divide up the tasks. I'll need some people to go out and collect goodly sized pieces of wood. We'll need a variety of different flowers. Riley, you're already collecting sap, you can do that."

Riley slumped his shoulders in reluctance.

"Oh, I'll collect wood," Rusty volunteered.

"As if I would trust you after yesterday," Chelsea scoffed. "I'm going to assign someone to keep an eye on you. Masky, how'd you like to babysit Rusty."

"I'll keep him in line," the masked boy declared.

"I was wondering if could, like, come up with some super nifty designs," Matilda suggested.

"Go ahead," Chelsea agreed. "That'll leave Desdemona and Garfield to collect flowers. I'd ask you to do something, Pamela, but I think know what the answer would be."

"You don't know a thing about me," Pamela sneered.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Chelsea sickens me. She acts all like she deserves to be the leader because she's so perfect and nice. But deep down she's probably just as rotten as every other cheerleader out there.

**Rusty-**This is perfect for me. I can keep looking for the idol, now that I've got my special tool, and I can keep our team from winning. All I have to do is ditch the masked dork.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Alright, I'm thinking that I should be in charge of this challenge," Briony declared to her team. "So far we've been doing physical stuff, but this challenge requires an intelligent mind."

"Well, I think that you should not be in charge," Calvin countered. "Your ideas are lame and will just screw up the entire challenge. Need I remind you of your hiding spot?"

"Hey, that should have worked!" Briony snapped.

"Well, I'd hate to build a monument that _should _have looked good," Calvin retorted.

"And besides you guys should worry about your shelter," Jojo added. "Why don't you just leave the challenge to us?"

"Um, excuse me?" Keith chimed in. "I hate to interrupt such a heated confrontation, but I just wanted to say that I found a source of loose clay on the other side of the mountain."

"Perfect," Ilona exclaimed. "We can use that."

"Hang on, I didn't approve this idea," Calvin said.

"I don't care," Ilona replied. "Your approval has no meaning to me. Now, Keith, take Stanley, Misha, and Sasha to the clay and you guys get started on the monument."

Keith nodded and waved for the others to follow him.

"Briony, I'm keeping you in charge of the shelter," Ilona said. "Your intelligence will be of the best use making something sturdy."

"Yes, ma'am," Briony exclaimed as she saluted.

"And you three are coming with me," Ilona said to the three boys. "We're going to need to find some smooth rocks to be the base for the monument."

"No, you do not tell me what to do," Calvin protested.

"You're going to have to follow my orders if we're going to get this thing done," Ilona reasoned.

"She's right," Elijah added. "We don't want to lose, do we, Calvin?"

"I'd rather not," Calvin said with a shrug, "but what's most important as that Ilona understands that she can't control us. Until then, we're not moving."

"Fine!" Ilona spat. "Stay in your shelter and don't come out!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**How dare Ilona try to act like she's my superior? I cannot let her think that she has any power of me. Well, if she thinks I'm done yet, she's got another thing coming.

**Keith-**Wow, this is working out better than I hoped. Everyone's got their enemies, and I'm the only one actually providing for the team. Next step, make some allies.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Okay, I'm thinking we're going to get a little artsy with the wood," Matilda explained to Chelsea. "Make something a little, you know, abstract. Then we can add the flowers in colour sequence, and is there any way we can write, 'All Hail Chris,' on it?"

"I'll have to look into that," Chelsea replied. "Maybe we could mix grass with sap to make some green paint."

"Brilliant, brilliant," Matilda exclaimed happily.

Not too far away, Desdemona was explaining the significance of various flowers to Garfield.

"This one here is a white lily," Desdemona declared. "It represents innocence. Now, the curious thing is, I found them right next to a crow's feather and that is usually is a bad omen. So perhaps the loss of innocence is upon us."

"I suppose it's possible," Garfield said as he added the flowers to his pile. "What else did you find?"

"These bluebells are a sign of new creations," Desdemona continued. "That's simple enough as we're already on our way to creating a new masterpiece."

Deeper in the woods, Rusty and the masked boy were collecting wood.

"You know, this would go a lot quicker if we split up," Rusty suggested as he bent over and picked up a stick.

"Forget it, I'm not letting you out of my sight so you can screw us over again," the masked boy declared.

"I swear, I only have the team's best intentions at heart," Rusty promised as he traced a cross over his heart.

"You have given me no reason to trust you," the masked boy pointed out.

"Oh, look, there's some wood over there!" Rusty exclaimed as he pointed at some fallen branches.

The masked boy turned to collect the wood, while Rusty tossed his top in the dirt again.

"What are you trying to tell me?" he whispered. "I need more specific directions."

"Are you talking to me?" the masked boy asked.

"Uh…duh, yes," Rusty scoffed.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"So, Stanley, how have you been?" Keith asked as he walked next to Stanley.

"I've been pretty good," Stanley replied. "I expected there to be a few jerks on both teams, so I'm not surprised about that. We'll get rid of them soon enough."

"Most definitely," Keith replied. "But in the meantime, you should hang out here in the woods with me."

"Really?" Stanley asked.

"Sure, it's peaceful, it's beautiful," Keith exclaimed. "And it's easy to just some alone time."

"That does sound nice," Stanley agreed. "But I'd hate to abandon Ilona to deal with those assholes."

"Whatever you say, I'm not forcing you to anything," Keith said with a smile.

The four continued to wind through the woods, until Keith presented them with the wall of clay. The grey material dipped into off of the surface and into the ground.

"It should be easy enough to collect enough to make a decent monument," Keith said. "The only question now is what are we going to make?"

"Well, what does Chris love more than anything?" Stanley asked. "Himself."

"Ah, you are correct, Squire," Sasha exclaimed. "The good king would much appreciate a sculpture in his honor."

"Well then I supposed we'd better get to work," Misha said.

"Oh, Misha, you don't want to get your dress covered in clay, do you?" Stanley cautioned.

"If I loved this dress so much, why would I have worn it?" Misha asked with a hint of acid, but maintaining her sweet face.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**Keith is a curious guy. I can't think of any boys who would willingly invite me to the woods alone.

**Misha-**Seriously, why is everyone in this game so f**king stupid? I mean, if I was really some tender flower, why the hell would I come to a show like this?

* * *

Back at the campsite, Briony was getting to work on the shelter. She had organized all the wood pieces by sized and was now examining them to see how they would fit together best. Ilona was collecting rocks nearby, but she never let the boys' shelter leave her sight. She was constantly glancing back to make sure that they stayed put.

"We are not going to let her control us like this," Calvin declared. "When I give the signal, we're going to charge the nerd and take any remaining wood she has. Then she'll be forced to sleep in the cold tonight."

"Is this really necessary?" Elijah asked. "I mean, Ilona's already pretty mad, and she can get kinda scary…and not in the hot way."

"Don't you get it?" Calvin insisted with a pitying tone. "If we let Ilona take power, then we're dooming ourselves. People will flock to her, and she'll have to ability to choose who stays and who goes. Do you want that? Because I certainly don't."

"Yeah, I get it," Elijah said with a nod.

"Okay, she's not looking," Calvin noted. "Now!"

The three charged out of the shelter and straight towards Briony.

"Hey!" Ilona cried as she spotted them and rushed after them.

Jojo tackled Briony aside, then immediately began snapping the sticks in half.

"Stop it!" Briony exclaimed as she tried to fight back.

Jojo only had to hold out his hand to keep Briony back. Calvin and Elijah were also gathering up the sticks, but by then Ilona had arrived. She grabbed the closest person to her, Elijah.

"I told you to stay in the shelter," Ilona growled as she tossed Elijah into the grass.

"Alright, are you ready for that fight now?" Jojo laughed as he got ready to grab Ilona.

"I'm afraid you've push me too many times," Ilona declared as she assumed a fighting stance.

As soon as Jojo was in her range, she grabbed his wrist and flipped him over his back. She then turned to face Calvin who was wielding a stick like a weapon.

"Don't make this painful, Calvin," Ilona said. "I'll give you one more chance to get back in your shelter."

"Still giving orders," Calvin sighed. "Fine have it your way."

He swung his stick, but not at Ilona. Instead it rammed it directly into Briony's face. She squealed out in pain before clutching her throbbing head.

"Ah! Briony!" Ilona cried as she immediately ran to inspect the girl's condition.

Calvin shot Ilona final menacing grin, before returning to his shelter.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**Calvin, you have gone beyond too far. That was low.

**Calvin-**Obviously physical force won't work on Ilona, but that's the problem with having weak friends. Their pain is your pain. And as for Briony, yeah I feel a little bad for her, but really I did her a favorite. A little pain will toughen her up.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Well, here's the first delivery of flowers," Garfield exclaimed as he dropped a pile at Chelsea's feet.

"Beautiful," Chelsea remarked.

"They each contain so many different messages," Desdemona exclaimed. "Our monument is sure to connect with the spirit of Mr. McClean."

"Yep, they're going to look fantabulous!" Matilda exclaimed. "I'll just arrange them from red to purple."

"I don't think so," Pamela scoffed as she shoved them aside.

Upon seeing the flowers she gagged and began kicking and stomping at them.

"Hey, cut it out!" Garfield exclaimed. "Do you have any idea how long it took to collect all of those."

"The spirits are not going to like this," Desdemona sighed.

Garfield eventually was able to drag Pamela aside.

"What is your problem?" Chelsea snapped.

"My problem is that I cannot stand to see you people happy," Pamela replied.

"What did we ever do to you?" Chelsea asked.

"It's more like what will you do to me?" Pamela retorted. "Every single one of you is planning on backstabbing everyone on this island. That's why you're here. To make friends, to toss them aside for money."

"That's not true," Chelsea protested.

"Deny it all you want," Pamela scoffed. "But I refuse to play that game."

"Fine, fine," Chelsea breathed as she calmed herself down. "And I suppose you're not going to stop ruining things for. Cause that seems to be the only reason you signed up for this show."

"Exactly," Pamela spat back at her.

"Okay, then would you at least like to hear a cheer I wrote for you?" Chelsea asked.

"Um, no," Pamela scoffed.

"Really? Cause it's got a real killer baton routine," Chelsea said. "And a one, and a two…"

On three Chelsea swung her baton directly into Pamela's head. Pamela collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"Okay, then back to work guys," Chelsea exclaimed as she turned back to her team.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Pamela's got some messed up ideas. Why would you come to a show you detest just so you can make it worse?

**Pamela-**(with a large bump on her head) This is exactly what I'm talking about. Chelsea acts sweet, but get on her bad side and she goes straight to violence. Bitch.

* * *

Riley was having difficulties of his own. Somehow he had ended up with one arm glued to his leg, and his other arm glued behind his back.

"Um, little help?" he groaned as he tried to worm his way back to camp.

He sighed in relief when he saw Rusty walk by with a pile of sticks.

"Hey, can you give me a hand?" Riley asked.

"First I've got a question for you," Rusty said. "Have you seen a small Chris shaped totem? It's got no purpose in the game, I just thought it would make a nice decoration."

"Sorry, haven't seen it," Riley answered.

"Oh, well, too bad," Rusty said before leaving Riley behind on the ground.

Once he left behind Riley, he soon ran back into the masked boy.

"There you are," the boy exclaimed in annoyance. "Come on, I think we've got enough wood for now."

"Alright, I'll be in there in one second," Rusty replied. "I just have to…tie my shoe."

The masked boy and gave, what was most probably, a quizzical stare. To demonstrate, Rusty leaned over and pretended to tie his shoe. He shot a grin at the masked boy who just sighed and turned back towards the camp. Once he was far enough, Rusty pulled out the top again.

"Come on, actually work this time," Rusty ordered as he gave it a toss.

It ended up spiraling through the air and into a hole in a tree.

"D'oh," Rusty exclaimed in frustration.

He reached into the hole as he tried to get back the top.

"Ow!" he exclaimed as something bit him.

He pulled out the top, as well as a racoon sinking its teeth into his arm.

"Hey, I remember you," Rusty said as he thought back to his first unpleasant search.

He shook the critter off furiously, then sighed as he caught up with the masked boy.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The four in the woods had clumped together a large ball of grey clay.

"Okay, let's get to working on sculpting this thing," Stanley exclaimed.

Each of the four went to work on a different part of the head of Chris McClean. Keith molded the hair, while Sasha went to work on the chin. Stanley shaped out a nose, while Misha traced in his eyes.

"That's very nice," Stanley remarked. "Do you do art often?"

"Oh yes," Misha exclaimed. "I just love my art class."

"I think he's looking pretty good," Keith declared as he began scraping lines through the hair.

"Voila, a chiseled chin so fine even the angels themselves would be jealous," Sasha exclaimed as she finished her portion.

"Now we just need his egotistical smile," Stanley remarked as he went to work on it.

"Yep, I'd say we were looking at the real deal," Keith remarked as he backed up to get a better view of the statue. "I'd say that all that remains is to let it dry and harden in the sun. It won't be nearly as good as a kiln, but it's the best we've got."

"Alright, high five, team!" Stanley exclaimed.

Misha gave a half-hearted high five with a faked smile.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Ugh, I am so disgusted with myself right now. Art class is for wimps, and that is the complete opposite of what I'm striving for.

* * *

Ilona leaned over Briony as she rubbed her head.

"Well, it doesn't look like you've got any serious injury," Ilona declared. "But if you want I can get Chris to send you to a medic."

"I'll be fine," Briony replied. "Here, let's get back to working on the base for the monument."

Briony helped Ilona lift several more flat rocks and form them into a platform.

"Let's see, we'll just need some vines or something to tie it all together," Ilona declared.

"On it," Briony replied as she headed out to the forest area.

Meanwhile, Calvin was speaking with his alliance members.

"That's how you keep power," he declared. "You can't give them the chance to fight. I have a feeling that Ilona's team is on the verge of breaking."

"Then can I flirt with her?" Elijah asked.

"If you want her to throw you into the dirt again," Calvin scoffed.

"It's worth the risk," Elijah said with a shrug.

"So, will we strike again?" Jojo asked.

"No," Calvin answered. "For now, we need to give that a chance to see their situation. We need to give them a chance to choose us as allies."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Total Drama Stranded is pretty much like High School. Once you get into a good position, you gain total control, no matter who you are. Of course, Total Drama requires a lot more violence, but it's the same principle.

**Jojo-**Calvin is smart. If I combine his strategy with my strength, I'll have no problem getting to the end.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Okay, I salvaged some of the flowers," Garfield declared. "I think we still have enough to look nice."

"Good, good," Matilda said with a nod. "Now we just need to wait for the others."

The next to arrive was Riley. He had managed to get untangled, but his clothes all looked very sticky.

"Here's your sap," he grumbled as he squeezed out his shirt, pants, and shoes over a large leaf.

"Perfect, now we can glue the wood together," Matilda exclaimed. "We just need the wood itself."

"Here you go," the masked boy exclaimed as he dropped a pile of different sized sticks.

Rusty brought up the rear with another pile.

"Was he any trouble?" Chelsea asked the masked boy.

"Surprisingly, no," the masked boy replied.

"That's right, so you can't vote me out next time since I helped," Rusty laughed.

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way," Chelsea replied with a snide smile.

"Okie-dokie let's put this together," Matilda exclaimed. "Chelsea, you heard my design, you can, like help me out."

"No problem," Chelsea replied as she spread some of the sap over the sticks and stuck them together.

"Garfield, you can get started on the green paint," Matilda said.

"Right away," Garfield exclaimed as he began plucking grass.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**Hm, I suppose if I was desperate I could try to get along with everyone. But nah, I'll definitely find the idol by tomorrow.

**Riley-**I did so much work this challenge it should count for the whole season. I'm going to need to do a lot sleeping to make up for that now.

* * *

(Later)

"Okay, teams!" Chris announced through his megaphone. "Your time is up, now you'll just have to bring your monuments to yours truly at the Dock of Shame."

"What?" Briony snapped. "That wasn't part of the deal!"

"I must have forgotten to mention it," Chris brushed aside. "But there's no way I'm coming all the way to both camps. So you'll have to find some way to bring your monuments to me where I will judge them. That is all."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Briony-**That gives the other team a strong advantage. _They_ don't have to go down a freaking mountain.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Well, here's what we got," Stanley exclaimed as he presented the large Chris sculpture.

"Looks great," Ilona exclaimed as the team regrouped.

"Now we just have to worry about getting it down," Misha sighed.

As the group got together, Stanley noticed the bruise on Briony's face.

"What happened to you?" he asked with concern.

"There was a bit of…trouble with the boys," Ilona answered.

"Ah, Jojo if you wanted to beat someone I wish it had been me," Stanley said as he turned to boys.

"Don't drag me into this, it was him!" Jojo exclaimed frantically as he pointed at Calvin.

"Well, I wouldn't let you touch me with a ten foot pole," Stanley said. "You're not really much to look at."

"Oh shut up," Calvin ordered. "Now let's work on carefully shipping the monument down these ledges."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**It's getting so easy to make Jojo freak out. Maybe he learns like a hamster, the more you shock it, the less it misbehaves.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Okay, team , this shouldn't be too hard," Chelsea said as she adjusted the final flower. "We just need to carry this all together."

"Hey, I've got a bone to pick with you!" Pamela exclaimed as she marched up to Chelsea. "What gives you the right to just lash out at me like that?"

"Do you seriously want me to answer that question?" Chelsea scoffed in reply. "Now stay out of my way or you'll find yourself with a matching bump on your other side."

"Whatever you say, Miss Goody-Goody," Pamela said sarcastically.

"Now guys are you ready to lift?" Chelsea asked.

"Do we all have to do it?" Riley whined. "I've already worked so hard today and it's not like I'll make a difference."

"I'm with him," Rusty agreed.

"Alright, listen up," Chelsea said with steel in her voice. "You are _all_ going to help lift or so help me I will come up with a cheer that's so motivating you won't have a the will to resist!"

No one could argue with that. So the eight of them grouped around the abstract piece of art and began carrying out of the camp.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Matilda-**I'm sooo glad Chelsea's on my team. She is such an amazing leader.

**Pamela-**There she goes again with her self-entitled rant. She is going to get her karma sooner or later…and I'm going to make sure it's sooner.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The team had spread out along the vertical side of the mountain. While Calvin did not protest working with Ilona the tension was still very strong between the two sides.

"Okay, careful now," Ilona said as she slid the monument down to the nearest ledge.

Despite her best efforts the statue was scratched and bumped by various rocks jutting from the mountain. It eventually reached Keith who had to slide it down to Calvin. Each time it was passed down it received more damage. By the time it reached Misha at the bottom it had several chips and dents. The nose was on the verge of snapping right off.

"Great work, team," she cursed under her breath.

The rest of the team climbed down to join Misha.

"Okay, now we just need to slide it all the way to the Dock of Shame," Ilona said. "We can do this. It's fine."

However, as the statue dragged through the ground, it started to accumulate dirt on top of the already damaged surface.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

Chris tapped his foot impatiently as he looked at his watch.

"Kids these days, no sense of punctuality," Chris chided to himself.

The Raging Rivers arrived first. Together all of them lifted their masterpiece and placed it on the dock. The end product had all the different lengths of sticks jutting up into the air like some large porcupine. Rows of flowers, each divided by colour, decorated the rim. And in a messy green writing across the wood it spelled, "Hail Chris McClean."

"Hm, I like the written message," Chris commented. "But the whole thing seems a little too artsy for my style. Are people really going to know which Chris McClean it refers to? Meh, I'll give you points for effort though."

Matilda looked annoyed, Pamela looked satisfied, and everyone else remained neutral.

"Now here come the Monster Mountains," Chris exclaimed.

The team pushed their monument up to the Dock of Shame. It was still recognizable, but quite messy as well.

"Hm…" Chris said in deep thought. "Well, it's definitely clear that this is about me. However, I don't know if it does me justice. For instance my face doesn't have these holes in it. And why is it so dirty? Don't you respect your god?"

"You have to understand that we had a much harder trek than the other team," Ilona pointed out.

"I'll take it into consideration," Chris said as he made some notes. "Anyways, I believe that the deserving winners are…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"The Raging Rivers"

"Heeya!" Matilda cheered as she high fived Chelsea.

"We're the best, no time to rest," Chelsea cheered. "We won, and we had fun, now it's done!"

"Rivers, you'll get your advantage tomorrow during the immunity challenge," Chris said. "Mountains, so sorry, I have nothing for you."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Matilda-**I, like, totally knew Chris would see the beauty in my work. He loved it, he just didn't want to play favorites.

**Pamela-**Ugh, the sound of those girly girls cheering is like daggers in my soul. Oh well, I guess I can take solace in the fact that the other team is probably suffering now.

**Ilona-**Will this was inevitable. I'm just relieved that it wasn't on an immunity challenge.

**Briony-**Oh if only this was an immunity challenge, then it would be sayonara, Calvin.

* * *

(Nightfall, Raging Rivers)

"Okay, guys, I have here, my very first blanket!" Chelsea announced as she held up the finished product. "No more cold nights, at worse they'll be slightly chilly. So, which one of you guys deserves it the most."

"Uh, me," Riley suggested. "I lost so much sleep today."

"Uh-huh, anyone else?" Chelsea asked.

"Me," Rusty said. "How could we have won without all that wood I found?"

"I think Matilda deserves it," Garfield said. "After all, it was her artistic ability that won the challenge."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Matilda said with a blush. "But really, we owe the victory to Chelsea's great leadership. And besides you're the one who made the blanket; you should get the first one. Who's with me?"

Matilda and Garfield put their hands up. Gradually the masked boy and Desdemona also raised their hands.

"That's the majority!" Matilda exclaimed. "Enjoy your blanket, Chelsea."

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Now there was only one shelter on the campsite. Keith had gone to the forest already, and Calvin and his alliance were in their shelter. This left the rest out in the cold.

"Don't worry, if we just stick together we'll survive," Ilona said as she tried to get comfortable on the ground.

"I think I'll go check out where Keith's sleeping," Stanley said. "I mean, he always seems pretty well rested."

"Okay, that leaves us girls," Ilona said as she pulled the other girls in close.

"Fear not, Commander Ilona," Sasha exclaimed. "The courage in our souls shall warm us from the fiercest night."

"That's a nice thought, but not very scientific," Briony scoffed. "We're gonna freeze up here."

The four were eventually able to get somewhat comfortable and slowly they drifted into an uneasy sleep. When it seemed like they had all fallen asleep, Misha got up and crept towards the boys' shelter.

"Misha," Ilona muttered as she cracked an eye open. "Where are you going?"

Misha did her best to put on a tragic face.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't going to join them," she said with forced sniffles. "I'm just so cold out here."

"I understand," Ilona sighed. "I don't want to force you to suffer."

Misha nodded then turned back and continued up into the shelter.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**Well, I didn't want to abandon my team, but I think Ilona can handle them for now. And Keith might make a good ally.

**Misha-**Yeah, if I had my way I'd totally be in Calvin's alliance. But I can't do that just yet. I'm in a pretty good position as it is and I don't want to lose that.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"So the Raging Rivers finally pulled a win," Chris remarked. "Will it stick, though? Next time we've got plots for betrayals and backstabbings all lined up. Who will pull through and stay safe? Who will be unable to escape the target on their back? Find out on the next Total…Drama…Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Jason was fiddling with rocks trying to get a fire started. He was failing miserably.

"Come on, I'm cold!" he snapped.

"You are doing it wrong," Esme declared as she took the rocks from him.

"It's not my fault," Jason pouted. "I'm blind."

"Yes, it is your fault," Esme said. "Your blindness does not prevent you from learning new skills. It is your refusal to move on that is holding you back."

"You take that back!" Jason snapped.

"I apologize," Esme said unemotionally.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Esme-**This island is a cruel jab from Chris McClean. It feeds on the desperation of people who have already given up. When only four leave, the rest will be crushed doubly.

* * *

In the middle of the jungle, a pink flower was having difficulty containing something. It wobbled from side to side until it finally spat up Shannon with an idol.

"Freedom!" Shannon cheered as she kissed her idol.

Shannon was covered from head to toe in purple gunk now, but she was too thrilled to notice at the moment.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Shannon-**I got it, I got my ticket back to the island. But I can't let the others know about it. I don't trust that creepy girl, and that blind guy will complain until I hand it over. I know, I'll build a new shelter out here in the forest and they'll never find me until it's too late. Yes, I've got the beauty and the brains, some people just get lucky.


	6. Molotov Fairytale

"Previously on Total Drama Stranded," Chris announced in his usual over the top flare, "the campers were tasked with showing their respect to me by building a monument in my honor. But of course, nothing can ever go smoothly here and conflict was soon to arise. Calvin, in an attempt to prevent Ilona from taking control, did whatever he could to keep her and her allies without a shelter. He even went as far as hitting Briony in the face with a stick. Meanwhile, on the Raging Rivers' side, Chelsea got fed up with Pamela and knocked her out with her baton. In the end, it was a close match, but since the Monster Mountains' finished product took some heavy damage, it was the Raging Rivers who won the reward. Oh, and Shannon found the first idol on Not Quite Loser Island. Now comes the tricky part, keeping it up to the merge. Well, we've got quite an episode for you today, laughs, thrills, the whole sha-bang, so keep watching!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Once again, Jason had assembled a poorly built shelter. Esme had also helped, but only slightly and not nearly enough to improve the pitiful structure. Jason was shivering inside of it, while Esme seemed unbothered by the cold. Shannon was nowhere to be seen.

Jason awoke uncomfortably and felt around his surroundings. He spotted Esme, but she immediately jerked away.

"Where's that other girl?" Jason asked.

"She is gone," Esme replied. "She never came back."

"Well, that was thoughtless of her," Jason snapped. "Doesn't she realize I'm blind? How am I supposed to know where she is if she doesn't tell me?"

"You talk too much," Esme declared.

"What?" Jason exclaimed.

"Every time you open your mouth it spreads negativity," Esme explained. "You should try to stop doing that."

"Hey, you can't tell me what to do!" Jason exclaimed angrily. "Who do you think you are anyway—"

"You are doing it again," Esme pointed out.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Esme-**Jason is full of bitterness that he only feeds with every word he says.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the forest, Shannon had fallen asleep in a tree. Around her were various branches that she had tried to make a fort with, but had failed. She awoke as the sun trickled over her face. She yawned and stretched out.

"Good morning, my lovely idol," she said as she looked down.

However, her totem was not where she was looking.

"Huh, where'd it go?" Shannon exclaimed frantically.

She immediately dropped to the ground and began searching for where she might have dropped it. It was nowhere in sight, though. It was then that she heard the howling and screeching from the trees. She looked up confused, and saw a small monkey holding onto her idol.

"Oooh, ooh, ahh!" the monkey cheered victoriously as it hugged the idol.

"A monkey?" Shannon asked in shock. "I thought those were extinct or something."

The monkey just laughed before swinging away into the trees.

"No, wait, come back!" Shannon called. "Mr. Monkey, I need that!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Shannon-**Monkeys are, like, our closest relatives, right? So maybe once I get a bit cleaned up he'll fall for me and hand it over.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Pamela had left the shelter early. She had not wanted to spend any more time around her team than she needed to. Instead, she got up just as the sun was rising and went for a stroll along the river. It wasn't long, however, before she realized that she wasn't the only one up. Rusty was busy flipping rocks over.

"What are you doing up so early?" Pamela asked.

"Same thing as always, I need that idol," Rusty declared as he tossed a rock into the river.

"Whatever," Pamela scoffed as she turned to avoid him.

"Hey, hang on," Rusty exclaimed as he rushed to her side. "Today's going to be an immunity challenge, and I've got the perfect plan. Wanna hear it?"

"No," Pamela answered as she shoved Rusty aside.

"Okay, here it is," Rusty continued ignoring her. "I screw up the challenge and rub it in everyone's face. That'll make them all hate me, but if when they vote me off. Surprise! I pull out the idol. It's genius!"

"When you have the idol, maybe that plan will make sense," Pamela replied. "Until now it's looking like you'll screw up the challenge and then you'll get eliminated. End of story."

Meanwhile, the others were starting to wake up.

"How did your blanket work out?" Matilda asked Chelsea as the two girls left the shelter.

"I think one of those leaves might have poison ivy," Chelsea sighed as she looked at a rash on her arm. "But no matter, I've come up with a better idea. We collect some moss and then layer than under some leaves. And it'll be like sleeping on a mattress."

"Oh, you are, like, so, so, smart!" Matilda exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I am getting so sick of Rusty. Not only is he a horrid person, he's also a complete moron. If you're going to screw someone over, you should at least do it right.

**Matilda-**I've got to make sure Chelsea knows, like, how much I respect her. She's going to go far, and like, if she keeps me around I'll go right to the end with her.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Ilona, Briony, and Sasha were had had the most uncomfortable night yet. The three of them were forced to sleep on the ground with no shelter, protection, or warmth.

"I'm sorry girls," Ilona sighed as she woke. "But there's always going to be low points when you're fighting for something."

"I doubt this is the low point," Briony remarked as she rubbed her back. "Those boys aren't going to quit until we vote them out."

"All we can do is keep strong," Ilona said.

"But I don't think I can," Briony sighed sounding like she was close to tears. "I can't take much more of this."

"Do not fret, Duchess Briony!" Sasha exclaimed. "Perhaps today we sleep in the rough Grounds of Defeat, but soon Sir Calvin shall fall—"

"Oh, don't you start," Briony snapped. "You don't even know where you are right now."

"Briony," Ilona tried to sooth as she reached out her hand.

"Just leave me alone," Briony sighed as she left the two.

Meanwhile, in the forest area, Stanley was just waking up. He stretched out from the large branch where he had gotten comfortable.

"Wow, I'm surprised, but this isn't too bad," he remarked.

"Yes, it is quite nice," Keith replied as he hung upside to face Stanley. "It's easy to find solace when you're surrounded by the sounds of nature. Although, I didn't mind having you for company last night."

"Good to hear," Stanley said with a smile.

"So," Keith exclaimed as he dropped down to the same branch as Stanley. "What do you think our next step in the game is, Stanley?"

"Well, we've got to do something about those guys," Stanley sighed. "I think we might have to work something out with them. Briony took quite a blow yesterday and I don't want that to happen again."

"Are you sure the others will go for this, though?" Keith asked. "Ilona and Briony seem pretty upset with the boys, and you're not exactly on Calvin's good side."

"Yeah, that's where it gets tricky," Stanley sighed.

Over in Calvin's shelter, Misha awoke face to face with Calvin.

"Good morning, Misha," Calvin greeted. "I couldn't help but notice that you slept in my shelter last night. Does this mean that you're ready to take our side?"

"Oh…I don't know," Misha said as meekly as possible. "I don't want to abandon my friends."

"I understand," Calvin said, "but, you know, we would be much better friends to have. Face it, people like Briony are just holding back our team."

"Oh, isn't there some way we can all get along?" Misha exclaimed innocently.

"Ha, not likely," Jojo replied.

"Maybe if everyone accepts me as the sole captain of this team," Calvin said. "I still wouldn't forgive Ilona for causing all that trouble, and I certainly wouldn't forgive the others for being freaks, but perhaps we could find some mutual agreement. But that's only if they come to me to beg for forgiveness."

"Okie-dokie," Misha sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Ugh…(begins scrubbing her tongue with soap.)

**Keith-**I think Stanley is the best pick for ally right now. He's stronger than Briony, and he doesn't seem to have too much of a connection to the others.

**Briony-**When I signed up for this show, I thought it would be a chance to prove my supreme intelligence. I thought people would respect what I could bring. But now I see that I'm on a team of idiots.

**Calvin-**I can be civil when I want to be. I can offer the freaks another chance to accept their place. Maybe it'll save them a few bruises before I vote them out of here.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Once more it was going to be fish for breakfast for the team. Garfield had taken up the chore again and was jabbing his spear into the water.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this," he exclaimed happily.

The masked boy remained silent as he watched from a distance.

"Awesome job, Garfield!" Matilda exclaimed. "I don't know if it's just me, but fish seems to, like, taste even better when it comes from you."

The masked boy muttered something to himself and turned to walk away. However, he was stopped by Desdemona.

"I'm sensing some bitterness coming from you," she declared as she grabbed his palm.

The masked boy removed his hand and said, "It—"

"Don't tell me, I know what you're going to say," Desdemona replied. "'Is there anything that Garfield can't do? He's making the rest of us look bad.'"

"That's pretty much it," the boy replied. "Now can I be alone?"

"Don't worry, he stars spoke to me last night," Desdemona continued. "Their message was blurred and unclear, but I believe they were trying to tell us that Garfield will get what's coming to him."

"That's great," the boy replied dryly. "Bye."

However, he hadn't taken another two steps before getting stopped by Chelsea.

"You're not leaving without breakfast, are you, Masky?" Chelsea asked. "There's enough fish for you."

The masked boy sighed and returned to grab some cooked fish. Then he went right back to leaving.

"You can stay, you know," Chelsea called. "We're nice people."

"I don't doubt that," the masked boy replied. "But it's a little hard to eat when you have a mask on."

"Well…you could always take it off," Chelsea suggested. "No one's forcing you to keep it on."

"In one way," the masked boy sighed before departing.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I hope that masked guy realizes that I can be a good friend. I'm not one of those judgmental cheerleaders. In fact, we had a girl on my cheer squad with glasses and braces, but I didn't laugh or say anything mean. I just kept her in the back and everyone was happy!

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"They're ready to crumble," Calvin remarked to his alliance as he watched Misha leave. "We've put enough cracks in their morale. Now, we're ready to start picking them off."

"So, is this going to be the end of all the violence and stuff?" Elijah asked.

"That depends," Calvin remarked. "If they can keep their place and let me run this team the way it's meant to be run, then I'll give them a break up to their elimination. But if they show any signs of trouble, I will crack down on them."

"Sounds good," Jojo said. "But Stanley doesn't deserve a break. He deserves to leave immediately."

"We'll see what happens," Calvin replied. "The important thing is that once we take complete control, we can't let it slip from our fingers."

Meanwhile, the others were grouping together. After their 'good morning's the group sat down together.

"I brought some food other than berries," Stanley declared as he held out some bulbous white mushrooms. "Keith says they're edible."

"Thanks, Stanley," Ilona replied. "Those berries weren't too filling."

"So, guys, I've been thinking, "Stanley said reluctantly. "You're not going to like this, but I think we're going to have to make a truce with Calvin. We can't have more people ending up like poor Briony."

There was a small silence before Misha added, "I agree. I spoke with him this morning. He seems like he could be okay if he gets his way."

"I don't know if this is such a good idea," Ilona argued. "Calvin's not going to go any easier even if we give in to him. He just wants to get pushing people deeper beneath him."

"Well, I agree with Stanley," Briony sighed.

"You do?" Stanley and Ilona said in unison.

"I don't like it, I really don't like it," Briony sighed. "But it's the only way we're going to be able to work as a team."

"That's right," Stanley said. "These fights have got to end before they get even worse."

"A good knight is not only a warrior, but a peacekeeper," Sasha declared. "Sacrifice is a necessary part of keeping the protection of the people."

"So, it's agreed?" Stanley asked.

Everyone nodded slowly, except Ilona.

"Ilona?" Stanley asked.

"I can't do this," Ilona sighed. "Once Calvin thinks he's won, he'll only get worse. I can't let him win."

"I understand, but can you at least try to avoid conflict for now?" Stanley asked.

"I'll do the best I can, but it's Calvin who needs to watch what he does," Ilona replied.

As they departed, Keith peeked out from behind a tree. He was making notes furiously.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**They're making peace? This cannot happen. My strategy thrives on there being conflict between them. I'll have to fix this.

**Ilona-**I suppose it is for the good of the team. We can't keep fighting, but I'm not going to let Calvin hurt anyone, no matter what I said to Stanley.

* * *

"Good morning, campers!" Chris's voice filled the areas. "I hope you kept the TV from the last challenge, because that's where this message is coming from."

The Monster Mountains had no trouble spotting the TV where they had left it, but the Raging Rivers were another story.

"Where is it?" Chelsea exclaimed. "I thought we left it right here."

"We did," Garfield said.

"Then where'd it go?" Chelsea asked.

"Now, I've noticed that there's been some negativity going on," Chris's voice continued, "and I suppose the last couple of challenges were a little tough. But this one is going to be fun."

"It's coming from the forest," the masked boy declared.

The group went into the forest to search for the TV.

"We've a very special guest for a judge," Chris continued. "You all remember Molotov the Bear, right? Well, he's back."

"This tree," Garfield declared as he pointed to where the voice was coming from.

The tree was quite large, and had a hole in the center. Inside the hole was a faint glow.

"The TV must be in there somehow," Desdemona noted.

"Leave this to Rusty," Rusty declared as he reached it. "Ow!"

He pulled back his hand as a racoon shook its fist at him.

"Aw, how cute!" Matilda exclaimed.

"He's not cute, he bit me!" Rusty cried out. "I probably got rabies."

"So, he's cute _and_ funny," Matilda replied.

"For this challenge, you'll be putting on a drama production," Chris explained. "Molotov wants to see Goldilocks and the Three Bears. However, it's up to you to put your own twist on the tale to keep our furry friend interested. Because the team that fails to impress Molotov will be going to elimination."

"Well, it doesn't look like this racoon wants to give up his new find," Chelsea noted. "But we can hear it just fine. Let's just let him keep it."

"Now, Raging Rivers, you won the reward last time," Chris explained. "For that, you'll be sent first class production materials. Extra comfy, and believable, costumes, all the props you could need, and a makeup set."

"Alright!" Matilda exclaimed.

"Monster Mountains, you'll get whatever we could find from the studio," Chris said. "Some…well most of the props require some assembly. Good luck…oh, and this message will self-destruct."

Both teams backed away from their TV. The one in the tree blasted out a singed racoon in the explosion. It landed on Rusty's face and began clawing at him.

"Get it off, get it off!" Rusty cried as he ran around in circles.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**Acting is gay…so I guess it's a good thing we have Stanley on our team.

**Matilda-**Wow, Chris sure has a lot of great challenge idea and stuff this time. This is going to, like be so so so much fun.

**Rusty-**(covered in bandages) It's time to put my awesome plan into action. They won't know what hit them.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The two sides of the team got together. Calvin stood out front expectantly, while Stanley stepped forward for his side.

"We've decided that this needs to end," Stanley said. "We're going to have to all work together at these challenges. So we think it would be best if we formed at truce."

"Mm…no," Calvin replied. "A truce implies that both sides are equal. I want you to all admit that I am the right and deserving leader of this team and that you'll follow my instructions."

"Fine, but in return I want you to stop abusing us," Stanley said. "Physically and verbally."

"I can't promise anything," Calvin said. "But I can promise that if you don't accept, then things will get worse."

Stanley looked back at this side of the team.

"Do it," Briony mouthed.

"Fine, we accept," Stanley said.

"You accept me as your leader?" Calvin said. "Say it."

"Yes, we accept you, Calvin, as leader of the Monster Mountains," Stanley declared.

Ilona still held back and remained silent as she glared at Calvin.

"Well, Ilona, like you said leaders need to earn their spot, and I'd say I just did that," Calvin taunted.

Ilona just narrowed her eyes without replying.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Ha, that was easy. Now it just gets better from here. First we can separate the ones that actually belong, and then we can start crushing the others. And by that time they won't be able to do a thing about it.

**Briony-**Just because I agree to work with Calvin, does not mean that I'm not going to vote for him when the time comes. There's more on our side anyways, we'll just play along with him and then he'll be out of here once we lose.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

An intern arrived at the camp with several large crates.

"Ooh, let's see what we got!" Matilda exclaimed eagerly as she opened a crate. "Ooh, look at this totally hot dress."

She held up a frilly blue dress.

"And look what we've got here," Garfield added. "We've got tables, beds, even a chair that's designed to break."

"And oatmeal!" Riley exclaimed as he held up a box of instant oatmeal. "We can finally eat a decent lunch."

"Um, I'm pretty sure that's for the show," Chelsea pointed out.

"Aw man," Riley sighed after shoving dry oats into his mouth.

"And here's your script," the intern said as he handed a booklet to Chelsea.

With that the intern departed. Chelsea began flipping through the book and made the occasional remark.

"Well, this is just the base of the storyline," Chelsea declared. "We'll have to add our own lines and blocking. But it does give us cast of characters."

"I think we know who's playing Goldilocks," Matilda laughed. "The only blond girl here."

"I think I can do it," Chelsea declared. "Goldilocks, Goldilocks, never knocks, it's so unfair, she broke the chair. Go Goldilocks!"

"And I think I'm, like, the perfect fit for baby bear, "Matilda exclaimed. "Ooh, ooh, and Garfield can be Poppa Bear."

"Perhaps I could be Momma Bear," Desdemona suggested.

"Yeah, I guess you could," Matilda replied with much less enthusiasm as he previous picks.

"That just leaves The Narrator," Chelsea declared.

She looked over who remained. Riley was trying to sneak some more oats into his mouth, Pamela was sending a threatening glare at Chelsea, Rusty was waving his hand back and forth eagerly, and the masked boy was just standing to the side.

"I think there's only one person I trust here," Chelsea declared. "Masky, you're up."

"What?" the masked boy said. "Oh no, I couldn't. I'm not much of a public speaker."

"He's out, pick me!" Rusty exclaimed. "I'd be a perfect narrator, I just know it."

"Yeah, right, as if I trust you," Chelsea scoffed.

"I'll be good I promise," Rusty exclaimed. "You trust me, really. Back home people used to call me Trusty Rusty."

"I doubt that highly," Chelsea replied as she raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you won't do it, Masky?"

"I'm positive," the masked boy. "Sorry, it's just not my strong suit. But I don't trust Rusty any more than you do."

"You've just gotta give to me," Rusty begged as he dropped down to his knees. "I'm sorry for being so difficult before. But I want to make it up to you. I promise, pick me and it'll be the best damn show you've ever seen."

Chelsea seemed incredibly reluctant, but eventually sighed, "Fine."

"You won't regret this," Rusty declared.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**Oh, she's going to regret this. Ha ha, I am a master of this game, everyone is so easy to manipulate.

**Desdemona-**Hm, I'm starting to get a little worried up who close that trio is getting. They could be a tough obstacle for me if this keeps up.

**Masked Boy-**It's important that I don't give any hints about my identity. That's why I avoid the others and speak softly when I can. Being cast as The Narrator would not be a good idea. Although, casting Rusty doesn't seem much better.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Well, let's see what we got here," Calvin exclaimed as he inspected the crate dropped off by the intern. "Some, rags and torn up carpets."

He continued to search through the box.

"I don't even know what these are," he said as he held up broken pieces of props that belonged elsewhere.

"Well, here's the script," Misha exclaimed. "At least that's not low quality."

"Let me see that," Calvin said as he took the booklet. "Hm, we've got five characters. Well, I think it's pretty clear who's most suited to play Goldilocks."

"Stanley," Jojo suggested.

"Aw, thanks," Stanley replied, "but I don't think that role would work for me. I'm not innocent enough."

"I was referring to Misha," Calvin said.

He then pulled out a holey robe.

"Here, I think this was once your costume," he said as he handed it to Misha. "Next we'll need a Poppa Bear…hm, Elijah, do you think you can handle that role?"

"You bet," Elijah exclaimed. "Can Ilona be my Momma?"

He shot a smirk and wink at Ilona. She just scoffed and looked away.

"I think someone else is more suited for that role," Calvin said. "Briony already is fat enough to be a bear."

Ilona growled and looked like she was ready to charge Calvin, but Stanley held her back.

"I'll do it," Briony said.

"Now we need a Baby Bear," Calvin continued. "Well, Keith, you look pretty much like a baby already."

"I'd love to do it, but I'm a bit of a soft speaker," Keith declared. "Perhaps you should pick someone else."

"Ooh, pick me!" Sasha exclaimed. "A good knight has a booming voice of command."

"Hey, you're not in charge of this team," Calvin reminded. "You don't get a say in this."

"But you have to admit, I can't see any of the others portraying a realistic baby," Elijah pointed out.

Calvin sighed as he looked over Jojo, Stanley, and Ilona.

"Fine, Sasha, you'll be Baby Bear," Calvin sighed. "But not because you asked, simply because I, the leader, decided it would be best."

Sasha nodded and put on a pair of flopping ears.

"With this animal magic I shall transform into an infant bear," Sasha declared.

"Are you sure those are bear ears?" Keith asked.

"Whatever, it's the best we've got," Calvin scoffed. "Now, we need a narrator."

Eyes moved back and forth over the remaining contestants.

"I'll do it," Stanley declared.

"Hm, I don't know, Jojo might be better suited," Calvin suggested.

"No way," Jojo protested. "Acting is lame, let the loser do the loser job."

Calvin rolled his eyes and sighed, "Fine, Stanley, you'll be the narrator."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Elijah and Jojo don't seem to fully understand the importance of keeping control. Elijah loses focus easily, and Jojo just doesn't think ahead. But we'll work on that later.

**Ilona-**Ugh, it makes me sick to just stand by while Calvin insults everyone on the team. But at least things are running somewhat smoothly. We'll see how long that lasts.

**Keith-**The two sides clearly don't want to stick together, and I'll make sure they don't. I just need the right opportunity.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The actors had gotten into their costumes. Chelsea wore the frilly dress as well as a pair of bows in her hair. Desdemona, Garfield, and Matilda all wore bear suits over their costumes.

"Wow, these would earn quite a few hot points," Matilda exclaimed. "They're cute, and yet they're not too warm inside."

Rusty meanwhile had put on a suit and tie.

"Okay, guys, let's start running through this," Chelsea said. "The rest of you can work on organizing the props or coming up with new ideas."

"Yeah right, I'm not doing any more today," Riley scoffed as he sat down next to a tree.

"Oh you're working alright," Pamela ordered. "Unless you want to take a swim in the river."

"Fine, fine, I'll move some of the stuff around," Riley moaned.

"Um…thanks?" the masked boy said to Pamela.

"For the last time, I'm not doing anything for you," Pamela sneered. "You just got lucky that I thought making him work would upset him."

"Okay, action!" Garfield exclaimed.

"Little Goldilocks was walking through the woods when she came upon a house," Rusty narrated professionally.

"Oh my, what a nice house," Chelsea said sweetly. "Maybe I'll just take a look inside."

Riley and the masked boy slid a door prop up to Chelsea who then stepped through it.

"Ooh, porridge!" she exclaimed.

She then ran to the oatmeal that had been set up on the table.

However, she paused and broke character, "Hold on, I just got a great idea."

"What is it?" Matilda asked.

"Well, I think this would be the perfect place for the bears to come out," Chelsea explained. "And then we could all break into a choreographed dance number."

"I like it!" Matilda cheered.

"Are you sure?" Desdemona asked. "I mean, that doesn't really make a lot of sense. And we're performing for a bear; they're not known for their big brains."

"Well, I think it's a great idea!" Matilda declared. "What about you, Garfield?"

"I think it's worth a shot," Garfield declared.

"Okay, it's three against one," Matilda declared.

"Well…would it change your mind if I told you that that cloud over there is an omen against dance?" Desdemona asked.

"I think it's worth the risk," Chelsea declared.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Yep, I knew it. They've formed their clique and if you're not a part of it, then you're opinion doesn't matter.

**Matilda-**Eh, Desdemona's a little strange. She's not as bad as Esme was, but still…how is a cloud supposed to be a sign against dance, you know?

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The actors had also gotten into costumes, but there's were much less quality.

"I feel ridiculous," Elijah complained in his shag carpet suit.

"Don't," Sasha said. "Many peasants would kill for a chance to wrap themselves as warm fur such as this."

"Newsflash, we're not peasants," Elijah scoffed.

"Well, I'm not, but I'm not sure about you," Sasha remarked.

Jojo was trying to put together some of the props. He had attached several legs to a table; however, they were all different sizes. He continued to search through the crate of supplies and eventually pulled out a thermos.

"I think I found our porridge," he exclaimed as he opened it.

Inside was a foul mixture of rancid ooze.

"Ew, some really old porridge," he said as he closed the lid.

Ilona was also fishing through the crates, but her attention was more focused on Calvin.

"Psst, Ilona," someone whispered behind her.

Ilona turned around and saw Keith beckoning her from a tree. She walked over to him curiously.

"Hey, I wanted to help you out," Keith said. "These guys don't really need us here. So I figured I could help you build a new shelter in the forest."

"You think that's a good idea?" Ilona asked.

"I do," Keith replied. "It'll be harder for Calvin and his posse to destroy, and you'll be able to keep your distance from him."

"But are you sure I should leave the others at Calvin's mercy?" Ilona asked.

"They'll be fine," Keith declared. "They've got a challenge to win. Besides, you saw them, then can take a few blows."

"I guess you're right," Ilona said. "Where did you have in mind?"

As Keith led Ilona into the woods, Calvin began describing their new script.

"Well, if we're performing for a bear, then I think it'd make sense to have Goldilocks get what's coming to her in the end," he said.

"Well, we can't change up the plot too much," Briony pointed out. "It's hard enough to show what's going on with the props we have. It'll be just plain confusing if we mess up the story."

"No one asked you!" Calvin snapped.

"Fine, why should I care if we lose?" Briony scoffed as she looked away.

Calvin narrowed his eyes in frustration.

"Porridge?" Sasha asked as she handed a spoonful of the sickly mixture in front of the two other 'bears.'

"Ew, you don't actually want us to eat that, do you?" Elijah said as he started to turn green.

"Beggars can't be choosers…peasant!" Sasha exclaimed before swallowing the spoonful.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**It's just a small step, but when you think about it, they only started to give up when their shelter was destroyed, so by building a new shelter they might regain their will to fight.

**Calvin-**I don't have to tolerate Briony if I don't want to. In fact, if we lose she's out of here.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Five, six, seven, eight!" Chelsea exclaimed. "And left, and right, and pirouette!"

Together the four actors danced in unison.

"Okay, I think we've gotten the dance down," Desdemona said. "Can we work on the plot?"

"In a few minutes," Chelsea promised. "We just need to run through it a couple more times."

"But we've done it so many times already," Desdemona complained.

"Repetition is the key to perfecting anything," Chelsea declared.

Meanwhile, Riley was trying to tiptoe back to the shelter.

"Aha!" Pamela exclaimed as she grabbed him by the ear. "Slacking off already? Get back to work on polishing that table!"

"Yes ma'am," Riley sighed as he slumped his shoulders.

"So, let me see if I've got this straight," the masked boy said to Pamela. "It doesn't matter who you're tormenting, as long as there's at least one person suffering."

"Hey, now I recognize your voice!" Pamela exclaimed.

"What? How?" the masked boy cried out.

"Does that answer your previous question?" Pamela said with a cruel smirk.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I don't need a reason to torment anyone. They all deserve it. Right now I feel like making Riley suffer because he's a lazy slob, but tomorrow it could be Chelsea or Garfield. And you should have seen the look on that masked guy's face…or at least what it would look like if it wasn't masked.

**Masked Boy-**I want to understand Pamela, I really do. There just doesn't seem to be any logic to her beyond spreading misery at random.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Okay, here's what's going to happen," Calvin declared. "The bears will discuss the temperature of their porridge, and decide to go for a walk. On his way out, Poppa Bear will slam the door and that will be the cue for Goldilocks to enter. She'll eat the porridge, break the chair, and the when the bears come home they smack her to the ground."

"Great, job, captain!" Briony exclaimed with a fake smile. "Really great, I just love it, you're a genius. I'm so glad that you're the leader."

She then turned to Sasha and shook her head to show her true thoughts.

"Okay, let's take it from the top," Calvin exclaimed. "Action!"

"The Bear family was enjoying some morning porridge," Stanley narrated. "Poppa Bear was about too take a bite when…"

Elijah lifted the spoon to his mouth, then stopped.

"Oh my," he said in his best big bear voice, "this porridge is too—"

He paused when the old substance began to ooze right off of the spoon.

"Uh…alive?" he said nervously.

"Cut!" Calvin shouted. "You have to get the lines right."

"But," Elijah tried to protest.

"No, buts, you have to be ready for anything," Calvin declared. "If something goes wrong, you need to improvise. Now, let's try it again."

Meanwhile, in the woods, Ilona was carrying a pile of logs.

"This'll make a nice sturdy shelter," she declared as she set them up next to a tree. "Thanks for suggesting this to me."

"Not a problem," Keith said as he watched from a branch. "I can't stand the way Calvin treats you guys."

"Yeah, well, we'll vote him out when we get the chance," Ilona declared.

"Good idea," Keith agreed. "But I hope he's not going to convince the others to turn on someone like me…or you."

"I doubt anyone would listen to him after how he treated us," Ilona scoffed.

"Well, that Misha girl seems to be pretty easily swayed by him," Keith remarked. "And even Stanley and Briony seemed to give in to him pretty easily…but I'm just saying."

"Hm, well hopefully he won't have the chance to win anyone over," Ilona said. "But like I said, I don't think it'll happen."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Briony-**You know what, I can act like Calvin is the best leader ever for one day. This play is sure to flop and then he's outta here.

**Keith-**Ilona is so predictable. And that's a weakness in this game.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Okay, I'm pretty sure that the dance is done now," Desdemona declared. "Finished, over, it's as good as it's going to get."

"Hm, are you sure?" Chelsea said. "Because a good dancer never puts on a show that's less than perfect."

"Well, that's exactly what this show is going to be if we don't start working on the actual story," Desdemona insisted. "I mean, look at the sun, it's almost evening and Chris is going to stop us any minute now."

"Well, like, you're the one who's psychic," Matilda pointed out. "If you knew this was going to happen, why didn't you, like, say something?"

Desdemona's eye twitched. Then she composed herself.

"You know what, it's fine, it's fine," she said. "Let's go over it again."

"That's the spirit!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"Attention campers!" Chris's voice blared through a megaphone. "It is time to perform. Molotov is waiting at the Dock of Shame. You may bring your sets there."

The group groaned at hearing this.

"You know, we should really stop acting so surprised," Garfield pointed out.

The team began collecting the props and moving them towards the Dock of Shame. Pamela purposefully dumped a heavy pile in Riley's arms who just sighed in frustration.

"Okay, team, we're going to do great," Chelsea declared.

"Yeah…" Desdemona agreed uneasily. "Um, how?"

"Our dance is sure to blow them right out of their seats," Chelsea declared optimistically.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**There's no point in causing a scene. I'd just make myself a target and right now I'd like to keep the target on Pamela and Rusty.

**Rusty-**Heh heh, this is gonna be great.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Okay, team do you get it?" Calvin asked after a shaky through the script.

"Of course, captain, your directions were just the best," Briony gushed.

"Briony, cut it out, that's not helping," Calvin ordered.

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard to carry this stuff," Jojo remarked as he filled the crates up with the props. "There was barely even anything to begin with."

With Chris's announcement they started to make their way down the mountain. Calvin took the lead with the actors following behind. Jojo carried the crate behind them, and Ilona and Keith brought up the rear.

"Well, this is gonna suck," Briony whispered to Sasha. "But when we lose be sure to vote for Calvin."

"Hm, a good knight does not betray his captain. That is insubordination!" Sasha exclaimed. "But okay."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sasha-**Is Calvin a good captain? Perhaps. Is he a good person? No.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

Chris stood at the Dock of Shame with Molotov strapped into a chair. The bear wore a striped clown outfit now and propeller hat on his head.

"So, Molotov, how was the circus?" Chris asked.**[1]**

The bear narrowed its eyes and bared its teeth.

"Right, that's still a sore spot," Chris exclaimed. "Well, this time you can sit back and watch these clowns perform."

Right on schedule the two teams arrived with their props. The actors were in costumes as well. The Raging Rivers looked very authentic in their costumes, while the Monster Monsters looked like they had found their outfits at a dumpster.

"Campers, meet Molotov," Chris introduced. "Molotov, the campers."

The bear was sitting in a large metal chair with a screen at the front He had several wires attached to his hat and plugging into the chair.

"As you can see, Molotov is hooked up to the latest technology of mind scanning," Chris explained. "When he sees something he likes, the screen turns green."

To demonstrate Chris pulled out a photo of a honey jar. Molotov smiled and the screen lit up into a mild green.

"And when he sees something he doesn't like," Chris continued, "the screen turns red."

Chris then pulled out a photo of Izzy and waved it in front of the bear's face. Molotov roared and swatted at the photo. The screen turned scarlet red.

"So, Raging Rivers, you seem to be more prepared," Chris declared. "I'll let you go first."

"Okay, Chris, get ready for the most memorable Three Little Bears you've ever seen," Chelsea exclaimed.

"Yeah, you're not going to forget this one," Rusty chuckled to himself.

Riley and the masked boy set up the table, door, and porridge. Garfield, Desdemona, and Matilda sat down at the table while Chelsea waited off to the side. Rusty stepped forward.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat.

Molotov's screen turned to a neutral yellow.

"Once upon there were three very ugly, stupid bears," Rusty narrated.

"Huh," Chelsea exclaimed as Rusty read.

Garfield shrugged and went through with his actions anyways.

"Of course, that's no surprise, since nearly all bears are dumb and stupid," Rusty continued.

Molotov's screen started to glow red.

"In fact, what was it that you said, Momma?" Rusty said as he walked over to Desdemona. "That bears don't have the brainpower to understand something as simple as a dance routine?"

Molotov's screen increased in intensity.

"Uh…um…this porridge is cold," Desdemona fumbled.

Chelsea was frantically making gestures and the masked boy. He got the message.

"Anyways, these bears had cooked some porridge that tasted awful because bears can't cook," Rusty continued.

However, before he could say anymore, he was tackled to the ground by the masked boy. The boy put his arm around his mouth quickly and dragged him to the side.

"Right…now where were we?" Chelsea asked.

"Um, I think I was saying how this porridge was cold," Desdemona said.

"No, no, I hadn't gotten to my line yet," Garfield pointed out.

Molotov's screen remained red.

"Okay, okay, let's just got to the big finale," Chelsea declared.

Desdemona slapped her forehead.

"Five, six, seven, eight," Chelsea exclaimed.

The four of them went through their dance in perfect sync. Every step, every twirl, was in unison with each other.

"Ta-da!" Matilda cheered as they formed their final stance. "The end."

The bear's screen had gone from angry red, to a faint confused yellow.

"Well, it would have made sense in context!" Chelsea snapped. "It's all his fault!"

She ran over to Rusty and kicked him between the legs.

The bear's screen went up to green briefly.

"Okay, that wraps it up for the Raging Rivers," Chris declared. "Monster Mountains, you're up."

Jojo set up the shoddy table and chair and poured the thermos of porridge into three bowls. Molotov's screen turned orange at the poor quality set. Briony, Sasha, and Elijah all sat down at the table while Stanley stood at the front. Misha was hiding off scene.

"Once upon a time there were three bears enjoying their porridge," Stanley narrated. "Poppa Bear was about to take a bite when…"

"This porridge is too hot," Elijah exclaimed, being careful not to put the porridge anywhere near his mouth.

Molotov's screen lit up slightly.

"This porridge is too cold," Briony noted as she put her spoon down.

Before Sasha could say her line, the table gave way under its poorly built-and mismatched-legs. With a loud thud it came crashing down onto the floor. At this point, Misha stepped onto the scene. She was surprised to see the three bears still on set though.

"Wasn't that my cue?" she asked.

"Uh…"Elijah said with a loss for words.

Molotov's screen started to get redder.

"Improvise," Calvin hissed.

"Look out, mother, an intruder!" Sasha exclaimed. "Take this, you nosy girl!"

Sasha scooped up some of the porridge and tossed it straight at Misha. The small girl didn't have time to react. Porridge splattered over her face.

"Ah! My eye!" she cried. "You're going to pay for that."

Misha grabbed a chair and began to swing it angrily.

"You shall never catch me, intruder!" Sasha laughed. "Go back to whence you came!"

"Well, this is going great," Briony scoffed.

"Oh don't you start," Elijah exclaimed before throwing a glob of porridge in her hair.

"That's it!" Briony exclaimed as she tackled him to the ground. "Say ah!"

She forced his mouth open and poured the bowl of porridge down his throat. Misha, meanwhile, was still chasing after Sasha and swinging her chair violently. She managed to knock over several poorly built props already. With a final creak, the entire set collapse in on itself.

"Aren't you glad we listen to your great captain?" Briony remarked as she made her way out of the rubble.

Molotov, however, was clapping happily and his screen glowed neon green.

"Well, Monster Mountains, you actually managed to keep Molotov's screen green for the most part of that show," Chris noted.

"What?" Briony cried out in shock.

"That's right," Chris exclaimed. "Raging Rivers, it's time for you to eliminate someone. Again."

"Well, that's a no brainer," Chelsea scoffed. "We all know who screwed us over."

"Go ahead, vote me out," Rusty taunted. "I dare you, just try it."

"Mountains, you may head back to your camp," Chris said. "Rivers, I'll give you half an hour to discuss who you're voting for. Then it's elimination time."

"We don't need to discuss," Chelsea declared. "Even Rusty knows he's going."

"Oh, I didn't say that," Rusty laughed evilly. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Um, that like, doesn't make any sense," Matilda pointed out. "If we vote for you, you have to leave."

"Not if I have…an immunity idol!" Rusty exclaimed triumphantly.

"What?" several voices exclaimed.

"You don't have an immunity idol," Chelsea scoffed. "If you don't why don't you show it to us?"

"Why? So you can knock me over and steal it from me?" Rusty scoffed. "I think not."

The team dispersed into groups.

"He's bluffing," Chelsea told Matilda and Garfield. "Chris would have told us if there were any idols."

"You think?" Garfield asked uncertainly. "Maybe we should split up our votes to be sure."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Chelsea said. "Rusty and Pamela may vote together, and I don't know if we can trust Desdemona and Riley to stick with us."

Meanwhile, Rusty walked over to Desdemona.

"I won't be needing this anymore," he said as he handed back her top, which was now quite dirty.

"Uh, glad it could help," Desdemona replied uncertainly as she put it back in her pocket.

"So, tonight how'd you like to see that cheerleader gone?" Rusty asked.

Desdemona glanced around to make sure that Chelsea was out of earshot.

"Sounds good," she whispered.

* * *

(Elimination Ceremony)

The eight campers had regrouped at the Dock of Shame. It was night now, and Chris stood up front with Molotov still in his chair.

"Raging Rivers, you've had to eliminate someone every single time so far," Chris noted. "Definitely not a good way to start off."

"Just get to the pinecones!" Pamela snapped.

"Fine," Chris pouted. "Masked boy, you're safe."

He tossed one pinecone to the masked contestant.

"Matilda, safe," Chris continued.

"Desdemona."

"Garfield."

"Riley."

Now all that remained were Rusty, Pamela, and Chelsea.

"The three of you are in trouble tonight," Chris declared. "Each one of you got a vote."

Chelsea and Pamela glared at each other, while Rusty just smirked confidently.

"I have two pinecones left," Chris declared. "The first one goes to Chelsea."

Chelsea smiled victoriously as she grabbed her pinecone. Rusty looked surprised, but still kept his confident aura.

"And the final pinecone of the night goes to," Chris concluded.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Pamela."

Pamela smirked a cruel grin at Rusty and said, "So, where's your idol."

"Okay…" Rusty said nervously. "That _may _have been a bluff…but if you give me five more minutes I'm sure I'll find it."

"Rusty, it's time for you to leave," Chris declared.

"No!" Rusty pouted. "My plan was foolproof."

"The dock awaits, Rusty," Chris said as he shoved him on his way.

Molotov's screen turned green as he watched the boy walk down the dock. Before he left, though, Pamela scurried over to him.

"Rusty, there's something I want to say to you," she whispered as she pulled him close.

"What is it?" Rusty asked eagerly.

"Was this what you were looking for?" Pamela laughed evilly as she revealed a wooden replica of Chris's head.

"You…You!" Rusty cried out in shock. "Everyone, Pamela has—Ahhh!"

"So long, Rusty," Chris said. "You brought this upon yourself. The rest of you may return to your camp."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**(twirling the idol) Yeah, I found this when I was walking through the woods. No way was I giving it to that moron though.

* * *

(Later, Monster Mountains)

"Well, despite some bumps, you did good today," Stanley told his group as they returned to camp. "Misha, if I didn't know better, I'd say that you were actually going on a rampage. Your acting was that good."

"Yes…my acting," Misha said with an innocent smile.

"Well, guys, I have some good news," Ilona told the group. "I managed to rebuild a shelter in the forest."

"Ah, marvelous work, Commander Ilona," Sasha exclaimed. "We shall sleep in victory tonight."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Calvin exclaimed as he stopped them from entering the forest. "I didn't say that you could build a shelter. Misha can sleep with us, 'cause she's cool, but the rest of you losers are sleeping on the ground again. That's an order."

"Alright, listen you," Ilona said angrily.

"Allow me," Briony said as she stepped forward. "Listen, you; I tried to get along with you, I tried to give you another chance, I tried to let you be my leader. But guess what...you blew it! Now outta my way."

Slap! She struck Calvin right across the face.

"Jojo, do something," Calvin ordered.

"Don't do it, Jojo," Stanley said as he stepped in front of Briony.

Jojo immediately backed off.

"Elijah, do something, "Calvin ordered.

"Um, right…what should I do?" Elijah said.

"Move, Calvin," Ilona ordered as she shoved him aside.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**While I wish to avoid all this conflict, I'm glad to see Briony stand up to Calvin. I think she'll be alright.

**Calvin-**Fine, we're back to square one. But this doesn't change anything.

**Misha-**(sighs) Damn, I really liked Calvin as a leader. The weak losers would be pushed aside, and the strong would thrive. Oh well, it's not like I'm not going to thrive anyways.

**Keith-**Mission accomplished.

* * *

**Votes:**

**Chelsea-**Rusty, I don't believe that you have an idol. You were a terrible teammate, a terrible strategist, and a terrible liar.

**Rusty-**So, I don't have the idol. That doesn't matter. They all think I do and so no one will vote my way. So long, Chelsea.

**Garfield-**You have to think of the 'what if's. What if Rusty has the idol? I think it'd be best to vote for Pamela.

**Riley-**That Pamela girl is awful, she made me work.

**Desdemona-**Sorry, Rusty, but there's no way my top helped you find the idol. And I'm not going to vote for Chelsea…yet. She's too powerful and it's too much of a risk.

**Matilda-**If Rusty pulls out an idol and we all voted for, then like, we're screwed. I'm voting for Pamela.

**Pamela-**Rusty, you sicken me. You are the epitome of everything I hate about humanity. I cannot wait to see that stupid smirk knocked off your face.

**Masked Boy-**Rusty, he blew it and now he's just trying desperately to save himself.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And another one bites the dust," Chris wrapped up. "With Rusty gone, do the Rivers stand a chance? What does Pamela have in store for the rest of her team, now that she has the idol? Will the Monster Mountains ever unite? Who will fall first, Ilona, Calvin, or the third option, Keith? More is coming so don't miss the next Total…Drama…Stranded!"

A boat honks in the distance.

"Ah, Molotov, that's your ride back to the Russian Circus," Chris noted.

"Naaaa!" the bear roared as he tore off the wires and broke out of the chair.

"Hey come back here!" Chris called as the bear bolted into the forest. "Oh well, this'll just make things more interesting."

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"A visitor approaches," Esme said mysteriously to Jason.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jason snapped.

"Aaaaah!" Rusty cried as he landed face first into a point rock.

Esme moved to help him up. Then realizing who it was, dropped him back on the rock. Rusty eventually got up and brushed himself off.

"Okay, where am I?" he muttered as he looked around.

He noticed the welcoming sign and walked over to read it. Once he had finished an evil smile crept across his face and he started to laugh evilly.

"What is so funny?" Jason snapped. "As you can see, I'm blind and I have no idea what's going on."

"Oh, I was just laughing and the fact that you two got eliminated before me," Rusty lied. "Now I have to go. Bye!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**I knew that I was too good to lose this early. Obviously, Chris designed this twist specifically for someone like me. I'll be returning alright. You haven't seen the last of me!

**Shannon-**(somewhat wet) So, I spent my day cleaning myself off with saltwater. Now that monkey is sure to find me irresistible.

* * *

Shannon walked over to the tree where she had last seen the monkey.

"Youhoo! Mr. Monkey?" Shannon called.

The monkey popped its head out of a tree.

"Ah, there you are," Shannon said with a seductive grin. "I think you have something of mine. If you hand it over, perhaps we can talk."

The monkey gave the gesture for 'one minute' before disappearing back into the tree. Shannon held out her hands eagerly. However, all she got was brown glob thrown on her face.

"Oh…no you didn't!" she snapped.

**[1]** In the end of one of my previous series, Total Drama Refresh, Chris had Molotov reluctantly shippd off to a circus in Russian. High fives if you recognized that !

_Author's Note: Rusty goes next. Rusty was a bit of a jab at the typical Total Drama Villains who are obviously evil, yet somehow just float by to the end. Probably if this was canon he'd have found the idol, someone nice like Chelsea would get the boot, and Rusty would go on being stupid and evil. Well not this time._


	7. WaterFaults

"Previously on Total Drama Stranded," Chris announced as he waved his hands dramatically. "We brought back our old friend, Molotov the Bear. The campers were tasked with putting on a production of Goldilocks and the Three Bears for Molotov. Chelsea wanted to put a dance number into her show, which was confusing enough without Rusty screwing with the lines. Meanwhile, the Mountains' crummy material led to some misfortune and resulted in an all-out brawl with Misha, Sasha, Elijah, and Briony. Molotov appreciated the slapstick though and gave them the higher score. In the end, the Rivers voted Rusty out, despite his bluff that he had found the idol. Before he left, Pamela revealed to Rusty that she in fact already had the idol. Things are going to be getting rough and tough today so buckle up and get ready for another super episode of Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Jason had gotten somewhat better at building a shelter. With Esme's help he had put together a fort that would actually keep them sheltered.

"When is Shannon going to get back?" Jason complained. "She promised me an idol and I haven't seen it since…and that's because I'm blind, but I haven't felt it either."

"You may be blind, but you should be able to see that Shannon was lying," Esme remarked.

"Hey, what'd you call me?" Jason snapped. "Blind? You say that like it's a bad thing."

"No, you hear it like it is a bad thing," Esme replied.

Meanwhile, deeper in the forest, Rusty was getting up from a painful sleep against a tree. He had tired eyes and the start of a scraggly beard starting to appear.

"Where is it? Where is it?" he moaned as he searched through bush after bush.

He crawled up to an old, fat tree with a gap in it.

"Oh no, I've learn from experience," Rusty said to the tree.

Instead of reaching directly into the tree, he crept up to the hole. Then he peeked his eye in to look for the idol.

"Ack!" he cried as a racoon bit down on his eyeball. "Why does this keep happening to me?"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**Is there some racoon chatroom where they all discuss how they're going to assault me or something?

* * *

Shannon was also not looking too good. She was covered in filth and was starting to get a crazed look in her face. Yet she kept on with determination.

"Mr. Monkey, where are you now?" she called. "Come on out, I just want to give you a hug. I don't care about the idol."

She accidentally put her foot in a puddle and splattered mud all over herself. She seethed with rage and continued to stomp through the jungle.

"Come on, be nice!" she called.

Eventually she spotted a tail drooping out of a tree.

"Aha, now I got you!" she exclaimed as she charged at the tree.

She jumped up and pulled herself up by a branch.

"Give it to me!" she cried as she came face to face with the monkey.

However one look around showed that there were plenty more monkeys waiting for her. They did not look happy.

"Oh, hi…" she said. "I'll just take the idol and be on my way, okay?"

Apparently it was not okay as the monkeys began pelting her with pinecones, dirt, and whatever else they could throw.

"You're all going to be stuffed for this!" Shannon cried as she dropped out of the tree.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Keith had awoken well before any of the members beneath him. He had in thought from his tree top, while five contestants slept in a shelter built by Ilona. Keith's ears perked up when he heard someone approaching. He remained silent, though, to keep the impression that he was asleep. He watched curiously as Jojo crept towards the shelter. Stealthily Jojo leaned over and grabbed onto Briony. He clamped his hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream, but she was too dazed to realize what was happening at first. It wasn't until Jojo had dragged her out of the shelter that she started to struggle, yet she couldn't break free and nobody heard her. Except Keith.

As Jojo dragged her away, Keith smiled slightly and muttered, "Interesting."

Briony was taken out of the woods and to the edge of the mountain where Calvin and Elijah waited for her.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" Elijah asked. "It seems a bit extreme."

"It's completely necessary, Briony stepped way too far out of line yesterday and for that she must be punished," Calvin declared coldly.

"What are you going to do me?" Briony asked with panic as she broke her mouth free of Jojo.

"Jojo, please keep her silent," Calvin ordered. "I'd hate for her to spoil it."

Briony continued to struggle with panicked look in her eyes, yet Jojo remained strong. Calvin revealed a vine rope that was tied to a large rock. He then took the other end of it and began tying it around Briony's legs. Briony tried to kick at him, but Jojo squeezed her shoulder painfully every time she tried.

Once the rope was tied tightly around her legs, Calvin said, "Let her go, Jojo."

"You got it," Jojo said as he shoved Briony forward.

She screamed terrified as she was thrown over the edge of the mountain. The rope kept her from plummeting down, but she didn't feel any safer.

"Help, help, you can't do this to me," Briony sobbed.

"I'd stop struggling if I were you," Calvin cautioned. "That rope doesn't look too sturdy and it's a long way down."

Briony's face went ghostly white as she looked down.

"Perhaps now you'll think twice about lashing out to your superior," Calvin said. "You'd better hope that you're friends find you soon, because I am not letting you up."

With that he left her behind to suffer.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Like I said before, I don't do this for enjoyment. Briony just went too far yesterday and I didn't do anything about it. I can't have people thinking that I am weak, I need them to fear me. How else am I going to survive out here?

**Briony-**Oh that f**king tears it! Elimination isn't enough for them, their deaths wouldn't even satisfy me now!

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Ah, isn't this a glorious morning, team?" Chelsea exclaimed exuberantly as the team awoke.

"Well, someone is cheery today," Garfield remarked.

"What's not to be happy about?" Chelsea replied. "It's a beautiful day, Rusty is gone, and even Pamela is nowhere to be seen. I've got a good feeling that things are going to get a lot better for the Raging Rivers now."

"That's nice, but I actually had a vision today," Desdemona exclaimed. "It's very dire, very dire indeed."

"Well, what is it?" Matilda asked with concern.

"As always, it wasn't clear, but the urgency was clear," Desdemona said as she paced around dramatically. "I saw you three, and yet a voice was telling me that one of you is a traitor. One of you can't be trusted."

Matilda gasped in shock, but Chelsea just shook her head.

"I think you must have misread that vision," she said. "The three of us are good friends and wouldn't think of backstabbing each other."

"Yes, yes, that's true," Desdemona said with a nod. "Except that's exactly what a backstabbing liar would say."

"Like, oh my gosh, she's totally right, Chelsea!" Matilda exclaimed.

"Of course, I'd never imply that you were any less than a lovely lady," Desdemona said. "I just recite what the spirits tell me."

"Well…thanks for the heads up," Chelsea said awkwardly.

"Do what you will with the information," Desdemona said as she headed out. "I just speak the words, that's all my job requires."

Chelsea had just turned around, when Desdemona slid back next to her.

"But you might want to keep an eye on Garfield," she whispered. "I mean, if there's a traitor among us it's gotta be him; no one can be that nice."

"I'll take it under consideration," Chelsea said as she forcefully removed Desdemona from her personal space.

Meanwhile, out in the woods, Pamela was kneeling in the ground. She pulled out her idol and placed it in a hole she had dug. She glanced around to make sure no one saw her, then buried it. She marked the area was a large, spotted rock.

"There, I've got my secret weapon and no one will ever find it," she declared to herself.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**It's for the best that I keep my idol buried. I mean, if I keep it with me all the time then anyone of those chumps could steal it when I'm not ready. This way I'll always have it when the next elimination and then someone will be going home with tears in their eyes.

**Desdemona-**I need to break apart that power trio. They're fine now, but if we keep losing challenges, they're going to become a powerful force. No, I need to stop this before it's too late.

**Matilda-**Well, Garfield can't be a traitor, right, he's, like, waaaay too perfect. And it can't be Chelsea, she's an awesome girl. (She gasps) What if it's me?

**Chelsea-**I don't know about the others, but I judge people but what they show me, not what some prophet tells me. Sorry Desdemona, but I'm not about to believe that one of my friends is going to backstab me.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Somebody, help me!" Briony continued to cry as she hung upside-down in terror. "Anybody!"

"Briony?" Ilona exclaimed as she heard her voice. "Where are you?"

"Over here!" Briony cried desperately.

Ilona leaned over the edge of the mountain and gasped in horror.

"Oh they went too far this time!" Ilona roared. "They will pay, I will make them regret ever coming to this island."

"Do you think you could help me first?" Briony asked.

"Right," Ilona replied as she pulled Briony up. "Are you okay?"

"No, but I'll survive," Briony sighed as she hugged the ground.

"When I get my hands on Calvin, I am going to twist his body so far around he'll be walking with his hands and eating with his feet," Ilona growled.

"Ilona, wait!" Stanley exclaimed as he stopped her.

"What?" Ilona snapped. "Calvin needs to pay, he has no soul!"

"All true, but you can't escalate this," Stanley cautioned. "They're going to come after Briony again. The more you aggravate them, the worse it'll be. I'm sorry, but it's best that we just forget about this."

"That's ridiculous!" Ilona yelled, then calmed down. "But true…ugh, this is not what I thought I was signing up for."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I guess I could have helped Briony, but it would be better to just let the drama unfold between the two sides. I suppose it's for the best that Stanley stopped Ilona before the action began. Another fight would have been exciting, but I think we've had enough violence already. I'm not a sociopath, I swear.

**Ilona-**Every time you think Calvin can't get any worse he goes out and doubles your worst fears. And there's nothing I can do about it. But mark my words, Calvin will suffer the worst fate imaginable, I will make sure of it.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you actually making breakfast for _us_?" Matilda exclaimed in disbelief as Riley handed her a bowl.

"Well, you didn't think that I was going to let you waste all that oatmeal on the show, did you?" Riley replied. "I hope that this makes up for not providing much on the previous days."

"Not by a longshot," Chelsea scoffed as she accepted the oatmeal. "First off, you didn't provide this, Chris did. And second, it's oatmeal, it takes no preparation."

"Are you kidding? I had to get water and everything," Riley complained. "That requires walking, leaning, and more walking. That's way too much work for me."

"Chelsea, cut him some slack," Garfield said. "We're very grateful, Riley."

The masked boy, however, went right back to fishing.

"Hey come and join us, Masky," Chelsea called. "There's plenty of oatmeal left."

"Actually, that was the last bowl," Riley pointed out.

"Oh, disregard!" Chelsea called back.

The masked boy took his spear and began spotting the fish swimming around. He focused on one and prepared to skewer him when suddenly a rock was tossed into the water scattering the fish.

"Oops, that's going to make it hard to catch fish now," Pamela taunted.

"And so now you're back to tormenting me?" the masked boy asked.

"I'm here to torment all of you," Pamela exclaimed. "Why can't you get that? You were in my way, so you get the wrath you deserve."

"Why? Why do I deserve it?" The masked boy asked in frustration.

"Well, for one thing you're wearing a mask," Pamela answered. "That means you've got something to hide and it's probably something pretty unpleasant. For all I know you could be some escaped killer and if that was the case you would deserve a lot worse than what I'm giving you."

"Fine, be that way," the boy sighed as he turned to fish somewhere else.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**What does it take to please these people? I don't do work, they get mad. I do work, they're still mad. I'm working harder than I ever have in my life and it's not good enough for them.

**Pamela-**People will say that they don't deserve pain, they're good people. Yeah, right. I've gotten to know enough about human being to know that no matter how nice you seem, there's nothing but rotten scum underneath. Always.

**Masked Boy-**With Rusty gone it would be nice if we could all get along. Clearly the other team is having issues, so we can use that to our advantage. But if Pamela wants to go next, why should I bother to help her?

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"I'm so tired of these weak breakfasts," Jojo complained as he swallowed a handful of berries. "I'm a big man, I should be eating bacon and eggs."

"I think we'd all rather something better," Calvin sighed. "But this is what we've got so it's what we'll have to deal with."

"You know, I think I saw some of the other guys eating mushrooms," Elijah said. "It wouldn't be much of an improvement, but it would be something different I guess."

"Well, what are we supposed to do, ask them for it?" Jojo scoffed.

"No, we take it from them," Calvin declared. "Because we are in charge, we are on top, and they need to understand that."

"Alright, I'm up for some more action," Jojo declared as he stood up.

The three of them left their shelter, but we're stopped by Keith.

"Gentlemen, there's no need for any more cruelty," Keith said warmly. "I'd be happy to show you where the grove of mushrooms is."

"I guess that works too," Calvin replied as they followed after him.

The others meanwhile had returned to their shelter for their breakfast.

"I can't believe Calvin would do something like that," Stanley said to Briony. "I hope you're okay."

"Yeah, that must have been really scary," Misha added.

"Believe me, it was," Briony sighed. "I don't know if I can take this. I tried standing up to Calvin, but when they all ganged up on me I didn't have a chance."

"I won't let it happen again," Ilona promised. "I'll start assigning shifts, I'll use more physical force, I'll do whatever it takes to keep my team safe from those lunatics."

"You're the best, Ilona," Misha said with sugary sweetness.

"And just remember, Duchess Briony," Sasha added. "At the end of this, what doesn't kill you shall only make you into a stronger fighter."

"Thanks," Briony said glumly. "But what if it kills me?"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Like I said, we can't have too much action in one day. Poor Briony can't take that much. And besides, this way I can get on the good side of both alliances.

**Misha-**Briony deserved exactly what she got. I mean, she's a wimp and she's foolish to think otherwise. I can't wait till she gets voted out and stops whining.

* * *

"Attention campers!" Chris's voice blared. "It's time for your next reward challenge. Meet me where the two camps converge at the waterfall."

The Raging Rivers left their camp to follow the river deeper into the woods. The Monster Mountains, meanwhile, walked around to the other side of the mountain and began climbing down into the woods. Both teams soon arrived at the largest part of the river. It was a massive waterfall that poured down from a tall cliff. Several rocks jutted out of the pounding mist. Chris stood waiting at the top.

"Welcome campers!" he greeted. "For this next challenge you'll be twisting your speed, your strength, but most importantly, your balance."

"No problem," Chelsea exclaimed. "Cheerleaders have natural senses of balance."

"As I was saying," Chris continued with an irritated glance at Chelsea. "It will be a match of endurance. Each team will send out one camper and the two will fight on the top of that waterfall. The goal is to get the come crashing down into the water below. Once that happens you are out and eliminated from the challenge. But until then, anything goes."

Calvin grinned at the sound of this. Garfield did not look as pleased.

"What if we get hurt, those rocks don't look to soft?" Garfield asked.

"Well, that would be amusing," Chris laughed.

Garfield narrowed his eyes at him.

"Don't worry, we've got the best medical team on call," Chris assured. "They'll fix you up good as new."

Garfield didn't look satisfied, but he didn't argue any further.

"And what will you be competing for this time?" Chris as he revealed a large crate. "Instead of a challenge advantage, you'll be getting this nice source of food. It's stuffed with fruits, breads, and bottled water. With a bunch of hungry teenagers I'd say it would last about…one day. But only one of you will get to take it back to your camp."

Jojo began drooling at the mention of food.

"Okay, team, we have got to win," Calvin insisted. "We need that food way more than they do."

Riley also seemed quite entranced by the reward.

"Hey, Riley, you going to be okay?" Matilda asked as she snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Hello? Hello, anyone home?"

"Oh, and one more thing," Chris said. "Since the Raging Rivers have two less members, they can pick two who will be going twice."

"Me, for sure," Chelsea exclaimed.

The masked boy was about to put his hand up, when Pamela declared, "Me!"

Chelsea gasped and glared at Pamela. Pamela just glared back.

"And there we have it," Chris exclaimed. "Let the games begin."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Ha, too easy. Not only do I get to screw over my team, I get to do it twice. And once more it's reward challenge so they can't do anything about it. Even if it wasn't I still have my secret weapon.

**Jojo-**Foooood…we are _not_ losing this.

**Chelsea-**Oh, Pamela is going to ruin us all over again. I mean, if she doesn't care for us, you'd think she would at least care to get some food for herself.

**Riley-**There, if I win this challenge for my team, that should make up for any lack of work. And I'll never have to work again!

**Misha-**This challenge is going to be too easy. As a gymnast I already have perfect balance, but I won't need that 'cause who would hurt an innocent widdle girl?

* * *

"We are ready for the first match," Chris exclaimed. "It's Chelsea versus Ilona."

Both girls stood at the top of the cliff now. Chelsea tried to remain calm, but still let her fear show in her face. Ilona remained neutral.

"Go!" Chris exclaimed.

Ilona made the first move, jumping from stone to stone to get closer to Chelsea. Chelsea realize what she was doing, and tried to move away. However, she wasn't prepared for the slippery rock and nearly fell right off when she tried to jump. She wobbled and tumbled down, yet she managed to hang on.

"Sorry, Chelsea," Ilona said sincerely as she leapt over to where Chelsea was hanging on.

"Hey, I'm not out yet," Chelsea exclaimed as she kicked at Ilona's legs.

As Ilona stumbled backwards into the rushing water, Chelsea was able to pull herself up.

"She's outta there, right?" Matilda asked.

"Not quite," Chris replied. "She needs to fall all the way over the edge and into the water below. If Ilona can recover before that then she's still in."

Ilona managed to stay up top. She clung onto a sharp rock just barely hanging over the edge.

"Come Chelsea, you can do this!" Matilda cheered.

"Come on, Ilona, knock her brains out," Pamela added.

"If you're going to call out violent things, could you at least, like, do it for the other team?" Matilda asked.

"I could but I won't," Pamela replied.

Back on the water, Ilona was coming after Chelsea again. Chelsea, however, was starting to get the hang of maneuvering between the rocks.

"Take this and this," Chelsea exclaimed as she tried to deliver a series of punches at Ilona.

Ilona simply moved from left to right to avoid each one. Finally, she reached out and grabbed Chelsea's wrist.

"Eep," Chelsea exclaimed.

Ilona then flipped Chelsea over. The cheerleader was stuck floating down the water on her back.

"Come on, Chelsea, don't give up yet!" Garfield called.

"Just drop already," Calvin shouted. "I'm getting hungry alright."

Chelsea was unable to regain herself before washing over the edge of the pounding waterfall. With a quick cry she splashed underwater.

"Chelsea's out," Chris declared. "Ilona you'll be moving ahead to the next round."

Chelsea burst out of the water sputtering. Garfield quickly rushed over to help her out.

"Chelsea, you're out," Chris repeated, "but since you volunteered to go again, you're not quite out of the game yet."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I just wasn't ready for that. Ilona is a good fighter, if it had been anybody else I would have won.

**Ilona-**This is the sort of challenge that encourages dirty play. Although, I wonder if I should be more worried about the other team or mine.

* * *

"Next up," Chris exclaimed. "Pamela versus Stanley."

"Let's do this," Stanley said to his team as he began to climb up the side of the cliff.

"Don't you dare throw this challenge," Chelsea ordered Pamela.

"Yak, yak, yak," Pamela scoffed.

The two stood on either end of the waterfall.

"Go!" Chris exclaimed.

"Prepare to lose," Stanley said as he made his way towards Pamela.

"Whatever you say," Pamela replied as she dived right over the edge of the waterfall.

Several members of her team facepalmed.

"Ooookay, I guess Stanley won that one," Chris said.

"Go me!" Stanley cheered.

"You didn't win that," Jojo scoffed. "If you had been facing a real man there's no way you would have won."

"And what's that supposed to be?" Pamela hissed as she stepped out of the water. "Are you saying that I don't count in your books? Or that if I were a man maybe I would?"

"No, no," Jojo said defensively as he put his hands up. "It's just that you threw the—"

"I've got my eye on you!" Pamela declared as she backed up to her team.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Wow, Pamela's going to make things easy for our team. And what's the worst she can do if she gets a little upset?

**Pamela-**Erg, jocks! They thing can just run the show because they're big and strong. Well I show him not to mess with me!

**Chelsea-**I just knew Pamela was going to be trouble. Sadly, it's too late to do anything about her, but maybe I can just work twice as hard next time.

* * *

"And we're up to round three," Chris declared. "It's Matilda versus Briony."

"Well, we're doomed," Calvin scoffed. "I'd say even Pamela trying to throw a challenge would last longer than Briony."

Briony growled with fury.

"That's the spirit, Bri, channel that rage," Stanley said.

"Don't worry, guys," Matilda said to her team. "I totally plan on winning at least one of these."

The two girls faced off at the top.

"Begin!" Chris declared.

"Okay," Matilda exclaimed. "Let's—uh-oh."

Briony was already charging straight at her. She had a murderous look in her eyes and was quickly gaining on her.

"I'm so outta here!" Matilda exclaimed as she leapt to another rock.

Her feet slipped slightly, but she managed to hold on. Briony was just one jump behind her, so she had to act fast. Without even looking she leapt outwards. Miraculously she managed to land on a rock safely. Still, Briony continued to pursue after her.

"This is boring," Jojo moaned. "Somebody do something."

"Matilda, you have to go on the offense!" Chelsea shouted out.

"That's way easier said than done," Matilda replied as she continued to jump from rock to rock.

Briony wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. Eventually she had Matilda corner. The River girl was stuck on a rock that hung over the edge of the waterfall. Briony was right in front of her.

"Now I got you!" Briony exclaimed as she charged.

Matilda cowered in fear. This proved to be a good move, as Briony tripped right over her and tumbled down into the water.

"Matilda wins this match!" Chris declared.

"I did?" Matilda asked as she peeked up. "How?"

Briony meanwhile was having trouble staying afloat, so Ilona and Stanley had to help her to shore.

"You did your best," Ilona consoled.

"And it wasn't good enough," Calvin scoffed. "Which is exactly why we should be voting her off."

Ilona just gave him a threatening gesture, before moving past him.

"Next up," Chris continued, "we've got Riley versus Keith."

"Wish me luck," Keith said to his team as he scaled upwards.

"Okay, now I'm going to show you all what I can do," Riley declared.

"We all believe in you," Garfield said.

"Is that, like, reverse psychology?" Matilda asked.

The two boys arrived at their dueling point.

"Begin!" Chris declared.

Riley immediately jumped from one rock to another. However, the leap seemed to leave him completely out of breath."

"Are you okay?" Keith asked.

"Just give me…a minute," Riley wheezed.

Keith casually tapped him on the arm. Riley stumbled over and was taken away by the water.

"Well, wasn't that impressive?" Pamela scoffed.

"Hey, at least he did better than you," Chelsea jabbed.

"Really, because I don't recall looking that pathetic," Pamela shot back.

"So, tell me," the masked boy asked as he slid over to Desdemona, "are we screwed?"

"We mustn't try to catch up with the future before it is upon us," Desdemona replied. "I can foresee that an unlikely hero my rise up from us. I cannot see whether he or she will win, but I'd like to think there is hope."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Yeah, that was referring to me. It's time to show everyone just how much I can bring to this team. And if I fail, I'm sure there'll be at least someone who I can call an unlikely hero, right?"

**Calvin-**While I can say that I despise nearly everyone on my team, I can say at least they're not as pathetic as some of the people on the Raging Rivers.

* * *

"We're up to round five," Chris declared. "And it's Sasha versus Desdemona."

"I shall defeat the soothsayer!" Sasha exclaimed. "No amount of illusion or trickery shall take Lady Sasha off of her mark."

"Well, I think I can take her," Desdemona declared.

"Be careful," Chelsea cautioned. "You saw how swift she can be during the Hide and Seek challenge."

Both girls faced each other.

"Prepare to taste bitter defeat, trickster!" Sasha exclaimed.

"I could say the same thing to you," Desdemona retorted.

"Start!" Chris exclaimed.

Sasha was quick, quicker than the other contestants had been. Desdemona didn't even had time to react before Sasha tackled right into her.

"Oof!" she exclaimed as she tumbled into the water.

She desperately tried to grab onto something, yet her hands kept slipping. She was getting dangerously close to the edge now. The water swept her down…yet she did not hit the bottom. Instead her dress had gotten caught in one of the jagged rocks pointing outward.

"Ha, I'm still in," Desdemona exclaimed. "You said that I had to fall into the water to be out."

"Yes, as long as you're above the rive itself you are safe," Chris said.

"Not for long!" Sasha declared as she began to hop down the waterfall on the stones.

"Aw damn it," Desdemona cursed as she tried to pull herself up.

She had just managed to climb up and position herself, when Sasha landed right in front of her.

"Evil, be gone!" Sasha boomed as she shoved Desdemona into the water.

"And despite a lucky break, Desdemona still is out," Chris narrated.

"Well, we can, like, say goodbye to the food," Matilda sighed.

"Hey, it's not over till it's over," Chelsea declared. "Keep up your spirits."

"Next up it's Jojo versus that masked kid," Chris said.

"Alright, time to get dangerous," Jojo exclaimed as he took off his hat and began pulling off his shirt.

Noticing Stanley's eyes widen and tongue stick out, he put his shirt back on.

"Don't worry," the masked boy said to his team. "He doesn't scare me."

"You are going to crash and burn so hard!" Jojo exclaimed as the two boys arrived at the top.

"The bigger they are, the hard they fall," the masked boy replied.

"Fight!" Chris declared.

Jojo moved fast, but so did the masked boy. With each swipe Jojo took at him, the masked boy was able to duck and dodge. He rolled behind Jojo and managed to kick him right into the back. This did not have the effect he was hoping for against the large boy though.

"Ha, that doesn't hurt," Jojo scoffed as he thrust backwards and knocked the masked boy over.

The masked boy recovered, though, and managed to distance himself from Jojo. He stayed on the defense for a while, always trying to stay out of Jojo's reach.

"Come, just let me crush you," Jojo exclaimed as he swiped at him.

The masked boy charged again and tried to deliver another kick. Jojo shielded his chest, but at the last second, the masked boy changed his target to his knee.

"Ack!" Jojo cried out as he lost his balance.

The masked boy took advantage of the situation and gave him a forceful shove. Jojo was knocked right into the water.

"Come on, Jojo, you're not going to let that freak get the better of you!" Calvin shouted.

Jojo wasn't done yet. He grabbed onto a rock and held on as the water rushed past him.

"Finish him off!" Chelsea shouted at the masked boy. "He's still down."

The masked boy hopped over to where Jojo was hanging on and tried to kick his arm off. Jojo refused to let go, though, and instead grabbed onto the masked boy's leg. The masked boy couldn't resist as Jojo tossed him into the water and over the edge.

"Jojo wins another round for the Monster Mountains," Chris declared.

"You rock, man!" Elijah exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Wow, Jojo is pretty impressive. I mean, yeah he's a bit of a jerkhead and he beat our team. But he sure is strong and determined. Those are the qualities we look for in our jocks. And Masky did great too.

**Jojo-**No one gets the better of me ever. I'm a beast!

* * *

"And we're up to Misha versus Garfield," Chris declared.

"You can do it, Garfield," Matilda cheered, "but, like, don't hurt the little girl."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Garfield replied.

"Are you sure you can do this, Misha?" Ilona asked. "You're not going to get scared?"

"Don't worry," Misha replied.

"Get ready," Chris exclaimed as they got into position. "Go!"

Misha jumped backwards as Garfield came at her. Misha never once lost her balance or wobbled as she moved from rock to rock. Garfield also managed to keep pretty good balance, but still slip occasionally.

"Come here, come here," Garfield exclaimed as he took several swipes at her.

Misha was able to always evade his grasp. Eventually, though, she allowed for him to catch up with her.

"Now I've got you," Garfield exclaimed.

"Please don't hurt me!" Misha cried using the most pathetic voice she could manage. "I'm so scared."

"Oh," Garfield hesitated uncertainly.

"Whoa, I'm slipping!" Misha exclaimed as she pretended to swerve back and forth.

Garfield instinctively reached out to help her, but she leaned forward and 'tripped' right into his chest. Garfield was knocked right into the water and was swept over the edge.

"Misha progresses to the next round," Chris declared. "Raging Rivers, this challenge does not seem to suit you as so far only one has made it."

"Go me!" Matilda cheered.

Chelsea helped Garfield out of the water and said, "Don't worry, no one blames you for going easy on her."

"I do," Pamela scoffed. "I can't believe you fell for that."

"Fell for what?" Garfield asked.

"The whole, defensiveless little girl act," Pamela said with a 'duh' tone. "She pushed you into the water."

"Nah, she just slipped," Garfield said. "It was my fault."

"Okay, I'm going to argue that it was your fault," Pamela said. "But you've got to be blind not to realize that she played you."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I don't know what makes me angrier. The fact that Misha thinks she act all innocent and play dirty like that, or the fact that everyone fell for it!

**Misha-**Like I said, too easy.

* * *

"Okay, Rivers," Chris said. "You're down to your two repeats, Chelsea and Pamela."

"Which really only counts as one," Chelsea said as she shot a dirty look at Pamela.

"Well you can go first, Chelsea," Chris said. "And you'll be up against Elijah."

"Elijah, Elijah, you sad clown," Chelsea cheered, "I'm afraid you're going down!"

"You can handle her, Elijah," Calvin said.

"Yeah, and besides it's not like we need any more of us to win," Elijah replied.

"That's not the point," Calvin said. "Just show her who's boss."

The two faced each other from their separate rocks.

"Begin!" Chris exclaimed.

Both campers charged right at each other.

"Hiya!" Chelsea exclaimed as she slapped and her opponent.

Elijah retaliated by slapping back at her. The two continued in a girlish slapfight with neither one pulling ahead.

"This is ridiculous," Calvin scoffed. "Just push her."

"Oh, right," Elijah replied as he Chelsea into the water.

Chelsea struggled to stay afloat, but she couldn't go against the forceful current. She tried to grab onto something, and eventually something grabbed her. A branch hanging over the water snagged her shirt.

"Success!" she cheered.

However, this placed a new problem on her: she couldn't move.

"Come on, come on!" she grumbled as she tried to wiggle free.

Eventually she got free, but had to give up her shirt to do so. She landed back in the water and pulled herself onto a rock. It was at this point that Elijah's brain stopped functioning. He could only stare at Chelsea's wet bra. He began to drool as splutter incomprehensibly.

"Elijah, snap out of it!" Calvin shouted.

But Elijah couldn't hear him in his daze. Instead he made an incredibly easy target for Chelsea to kick over the edge.

"And the Raging Rivers get their second win!" Chris announced. "Chelsea will be progressing to the next round."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**Hey, you can't blame me. She was pretty hot, and as far I know, she wasn't psycho.

* * *

"Not for the final match of the first round," Chris exclaimed. "It's Pamela versus Calvin."

"Well, there's evil versus evil for you," Briony scoffed.

"We're so dead," Matilda moaned as she slapped her forehead.

"I'll be done in a few seconds," Calvin told his team.

The two reached the top and took their positions.

"Ready, campers?" Chris exclaimed. "Go!"

Pamela took a few steps closer to Calvin. Calvin just grinned and remained stationary.

"Well, aren't you going to jump?" Calvin asked.

"No," Pamela replied before punching him directly in the nose.

Calvin stumbled backwards and over the waterfall. He landed on his back on a flat rock, before sliding off and landing on his front on another rock. He then slid right into the water.

"Wow…"Chris said. "Pamela progresses to the next round."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**What the hell was that? Oh, that freak is so dead right now.

**Briony-**That has got to be the most awesome thing I have seen yet. I don't care if Pamela's evil, she suddenly went way up in my books.

**Chelsea-**Okay, I was not expecting that. But I guess I can't complain.

**Pamela-**I'm not losing this game until I take that half-sized brat out. At least when I cheat I'm open about it, but she had no decency.

* * *

"Okay, it's time for round two," Chris declared. "Raging Rivers, this is really going to test your endurance skills as the three of you are going to have to go through all the remaining Mountains."

"Bring it on," Chelsea said

"You can do it!" Garfield cheered.

"We believe it you," the masked boy added.

"My the fates smile upon you," Desdemona added.

Everyone waited expectantly for Riley to add something. However, the boy had fallen asleep under a tree.

"Hey, come on," Garfield said as he poked him. "The game's still going on."

"Hey, I tried and I failed," Riley protested. "The moral is that I should just stop trying and I should sleep more."

Garfield just rolled his eyes.

"We can totally take down three wimpy girls," Jojo exclaimed.

"Don't underestimate them," Ilona said. "They could surprise us."

"Yeah, like how Calvin learned," Stanley laughed.

"Shut up!" Calvin snapped.

He then pulled Jojo aside and whispered, "Whatever you do, I want you to make sure Pamela suffers a humiliating defeat."

"Can do," Jojo replied.

"First up, Chelsea versus Stanley," Chris exclaimed.

"Let me show you how it's done, Calvin," Stanley smirked.

"I said, shut up!" Calvin snapped.

"Just so you know," Stanley said as he faced Chelsea, "I'm gay so you're little trick won't work on me."

"Good, I'd like to know that I have a competent opponent," Chelsea replied.

"Hey," Elijah called out offended.

"Go!" Chris exclaimed.

The two eyed each other before making their moves. Chelsea moved towards Stanley, who immediately delivered a quick kick towards her. Chelsea pulled back while maintaining her balance. Stanley forced her back as he charge at her again. He continued to swing at her, not giving her a chance to fight back.

"Knock him out, Chelsea!" Matilda cheered.

"Yeah…go us," Riley cheered unenthusiastically. "There, I cheered, can I go back to sleep now?"

"Stay strong, Sir Stanley!" Sasha cheered.

"Personally, I don't care which one wins," Calvin remarked. "They'd both be pretty satisfying."

After continuing to dodge blows from Stanley, Chelsea decided to change up her strategy. Pretending to be hit, she stumbled into the water. However, she was prepared for the current this time and swam straight for Stanley.

"Huh," Stanley exclaimed as she grabbed onto his ankle.

With a tug she managed to pull him into the water with her. The two of them struggled together as they flowed through the river. Chelsea tried to pull herself out, but it was Stanley's turn to strike and he held her back. The two of them were headed over the edge of the waterfall together. Chelsea clenched her teeth as she broke away from Stanley and tried to grab onto one of the jagged rocks. It was painful, but it worked. Stanley wasn't so lucky.

"Stanley is out," Chris declared as Stanley splashed into the water. "Chelsea moves onto another round."

"You were right," Stanley said as he got out of the water. "She did surprise me."

"Up next," Chris announced. "It's Pamela versus Keith."

"Should I be worried?" Keith asked.

"You'd better be," Pamela snarled.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Well, it would be nice if Keith kicked her ass, that's not going to happen. Look at him, he's scrawny.

**Chelsea-**We need to get Pamela this determined more often. She could finally be of use to our team.

**Pamela-**Chris should just pair me off with Misha so we can get this over with.

* * *

Keith and Pamela eyed each other. Pamela bared her teeth and him and Keith cringed.

"Begin!" Chris exclaimed.

Keith jumped away from Pamela as she leapt after him with fire in her eyes. Keith continued to evade her nervously. However, Pamela managed to catch him as she grabbed onto his ponytail.

"Whoa!" Keith cried as she picked him up by the hair and began to spin him around.

Like an Olympian tossing a discus she sent Keith flying through the sky and into the water.

"Okay, in a completely unnecessary bout of violence, Pamela progresses to the next round," Chris declared. "Up next, Matilda versus Misha."

"D'oh," Pamela exclaimed as she slapped her face. "Look, don't fall for her."

"Hmph, and I'm sure you're the most trustworthy person ever," Matilda sniffed.

"Be careful, Misha," Ilona cautioned.

"I'll be fine," Misha promised.

"It's the battle of the sweeties!" Chris exclaimed as the two girls faced each other.

"Now if you want to, like, back out now, that's totally okay," Matilda said to Misha.

"That's okay," Misha replied.

"Start!" Chris said.

Misha started by jumping straight for Matilda. Matilda was thrown off guard and stumbled backwards into the water. After floundering in the water, she was able to grab onto a branch and pull herself up. Misha charged straight for her again, but Matilda was ready to retaliate this time. Before Misha could strike, Matilda shoved her back. Misha fell backwards and it was her turn to get swept away. She was able to grab onto a rock, but she was stuck hanging over the edge now.

"Help!" she cried trying to make herself sound desperate. "You have to help me, I'm so scared!"

Matilda stepped towards her uneasily.

"Don't do it!" Pamela shouted. "It's a trick."

"I'm going to fall!" Misha cried. "Please, help me! I don't want to fall."

Matilda made up her mind and reached out her hand to help up Misha. Misha pulled herself up with a little too much strength. The force caused Matilda to stumble forward and splash right into the river.

"I guess that's a point for Misha," Chris said.

"I am so, so, sorry," Misha sobbed. "I swear, that was an accident."

"Liar," Pamela grumbled under her breath.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I think I can recognize the signs of someone playing dirty. Look at Misha, she's got that confident attitude, even if she tries to cover it by acting sweet. But my stupid team is being stupid and doesn't realize that.

**Matilda-**I, like, totally don't regret that. Saving scared little girls is why hotter than winning challenges.

**Misha-**Ha, ha, it's actually working to my advantage that Pamela is out to get me. Since everyone already hates her, anything she says against me, just makes me look more innocent.

* * *

"Raging Rivers, you're down to two," Chris noted. "While the Monster Mountains still have four. Next up will be Chelsea versus Ilona again."

"Time for the rematch!" Chelsea declared eagerly.

"She doesn't stand a chance against you, Ilona," Briony said.

"Oh, I think she does," Ilona replied. "But that just means I'll have to give her my all."

Once more the girls faced off.

"You show her, Chelsea!" Matilda cheered. "No one pushes you around like that!"

"Girls, begin!" Chris exclaimed.

Ilona stepped towards Chelsea. Chelsea stepped back.

"Iiii-ya!" Ilona exclaimed as she sent a powerful, flying kick right into Chelsea's chest.

Chelsea was knocked back far and once again was headed straight for the edge.

"Ugh, I have to this again?" she moaned.

But she went through with her maneuver. She dropped over the edge and landed herself on one of the jagged rocks. She nearly slipped several times, but finally found her balance.

"Come and get me," she called upwards.

"Be careful, Ilona!" Stanley shouted. "She's up to something."

Ilona jumped over to the rock that hung over the edge. From there she was able to leap to another rock jutting out of the falling water.

"Here I am," Ilona challenged.

The two girls locked eyes. Chelsea made the next move. She launched herself forward and grabbed onto the rock Ilona was standing on. However, instead of climbing up, she used it to swing herself to a rock on the other side. From there she had a shot at Ilona's back before the other girl turned around. She charged, but Ilona managed to spin around and resist her. The two girls both pushed on the other as they tried to remain on the small, slippery surface.

"Come on, Chelsea, knock her right off there!" the masked boy exclaimed.

"Keep your strength up, Commander!" Sasha shouted.

Neither girl looked to be moving, but then suddenly Chelsea released her grip. This was enough to cause Ilona to lose her balance and fall into the water.

"Chelsea manages another win!" Chris exclaimed.

"Well, we're not looking too great now," Briony sighed. "There goes our best fighter."

"Yeah right," Jojo scoffed. "Are you forgetting about me?"

"Now it's time for Pamela versus Sasha," Chris said.

"Ah, you shall feel the fury like none other, foul demoness!" Sasha declared. "Your kind shall no longer pollute the land with evil."

"Well, when I'm done with you, you won't be spreading your pixie dust of positivity anymore," Pamela retorted.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Is it seriously too much to ask that I just get a chance to fight Misha? I don't like helping my team win, but I'll do it if I get to take out that little brat.

**Elijah-**Pamela's pretty hot too. She's got the bad girl thing going on and she can be pretty badass too. I wonder if Calvin would approve.

**Calvin-**Pamela is in for a long, painful fall!

* * *

Pamela and Sasha stood on the rocks now.

"I feel wrong cheering for Pamela over such a cute girl," Matilda noted.

"As wrong as it may be, I'd really rather not have to have to fight three more guys on my own," Chelsea remarked.

"Fight!" Chris declared.

Sasha wasted no time in charging straight for Pamela. Pamela wasted no time in getting physical. As soon as Sasha was in her range she swung her arm back and forth. She managed to smack Sasha several time, but Sasha got in some blows as well.

"Die, demoness!" Sasha exclaimed as she tried to thrash Pamela.

However, Pamela was strong enough to hold Sasha back and thus she couldn't do any real damage. Pamela gave Sasha a shove and knocked her into the water, but this didn't deter her. Sasha fought the current and was able to cling onto a rock. Pamela tried to kick her down, but Sasha grabbed onto her foot instead.

"Let. Go. Of. Me!" Pamela cried as she swung Sasha back and forth. Sasha eventually got dizzy and let go. This gave Pamela the opportunity to shove her off the rock and sent her over the edge of the waterfall.

"The Raging Rivers have tied it up," Chris remarked. "It's just Jojo and Misha left now against Pamela and Chelsea."

"Oh, I am feeling so tired right now," Chelsea sighed as she got up and ready to fight again.

"Don't worry, you're doing great," Garfield said.

"Oh, how come when she complains about being tired, it's perfectly fine?" Riley whined.

"For this next battle it shall be Chelsea versus Jojo," Chris declared.

"Hm, cheerleader versus jock," Calvin remarked. "This should be interesting."

"Begin!" Chris exclaimed.

Chelsea stood her ground as Jojo approached her. She tried to analyze to best way to take him out. She didn't want to risk using the jagged rocks on the edge unless it was absolutely necessary, yet Jojo was a powerhouse. The jock reached her and she struck out at him. Her hand just bounced off his chest harmlessly.

"Ha, you hit like a girl," Jojo laughed.

Jojo wrapped his arm around her. Chelsea tried to resist. She clawed as his face and kicked at his body, but it was all futile. He was too strong and she was too tired. She didn't have the energy to find a way out of this one. She just gave up as Jojo dropped her over the edge.

"And that does it for Chelsea!" Chris exclaimed. "Pamela is the final Raging River and she's up against Misha."

"Finally!" Pamela cheered.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Yep, that Jojo is really something. He's the kind of guy I'd date if I was in school…and wasn't trying to beat him for five million dollars. Still, he is just so strong and handsome…

**Pamela-**It's time for Misha to go down. Her crocodile tears won't work on me.

**Misha-**Pfft, Pamela doesn't scare me.

* * *

"Pamela scares me," Misha whimpered. "But I think I can do it."

The two girls got up and into position.

"Please be merciful," Misha said sweetly.

"Ha, no," Pamela scoffed.

"Fight!" Chris exclaimed.

Misha started out by backing away from Pamela. Pamela followed her, but was sure to stay out of her range. Both girls continued like this, but Pamela had a strategy. She was herding Misha over to the edge of the water.

"Take this!" Pamela cried as she swiped at Misha.

The other girl just swerved to avoid her. Misha began to strike back now. She delivered a series of kicks to Pamela. Pamela stayed strong though and just kept swinging at Misha. Finally, one strong blow was enough to knock Misha over the edge.

"Don't do it!" Misha cried. "I'll give up if you just pull me up, I promise!"

"Not happening," Pamela smirked as she kicked Misha over the edge.

"Pamela is the victor!" Chris exclaimed. "It's down to one on one now."

Ilona helped Misha out of the water. The smaller girl was sobbing uncontrollably as Ilona comforted her.

"There, there, you did great," Ilona said.

"Yeah, but now it's time to see someone do awesome!" Jojo announced.

"Meh, I think I'll forfeit," Pamela said with a shrug.

"Oh, I should have known," Jojo laughed. "You must realize that you're no match for me. You're just a scrawny girl."

Pamela tensed up with rage.

"You are so dead!" she cried.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Matilda-**I know Pamela like pretty much is the only chance we have of winning now, but what she did to Misha was totally not cool. She's a nasty girl no matter how many crates of food she wins for us.

**Pamela-**If I had to pick the person I hate the most right now I would say everyone! However, as of right now the person who has gotten on nerves is Jojo!

**Jojo-**It's payback time, Pamela. You mess with my bro and I'll mess you up hard!

**Desdemona-**Something I predicted actually came true? Time to rub it in their faces.

* * *

"Ah yes, just as I foresaw an unlikely hero has arisen," Desdemona announced.

"That's true, I certainly wasn't expecting Pamela to be the last one remaining," the masked boy replied.

"But can she really stand a chance against Jojo?" Chelsea asked. "That guy's tough…and dreamy."

"What was that last thing you said?" Garfield asked.

"Oh, nothing," Chelsea said quickly.

"Pamela, Jojo, the both of you are the final competitors for your team," Chris declared. "The winner gets the crate and the loser gets nothing. Are you ready? Go!"

Jojo charged at Pamela who charged right back at him. However, Pamela dodged at the last second and Jojo stumbled forward. She turned around and tried to use his momentum to shove him into the water. It didn't work. Jojo elbowed Pamela and knocked her back instead. Then he scooped her up.

"Oh no you don't! Pamela roared as she sunk her teeth in his arm.

"Ahhh!" Jojo cried out in pain as he let go of Pamela.

Pamela delivered several more kicks all over him. Yet he was able to stay put.

"Come on, just drop already!" Pamela screamed as she punched and kicked wherever she could.

"You're pathetic!" Jojo retorted as he slapped her across the face.

The pain shocked Pamela and caused her to lose her focus. The allowed Jojo to give her a firm shove into the water.

"I'm. Not. Done. Yet!" Pamela cried as she dug her nails into Jojo's shoe.

With a furious tug she dragged Jojo down into the water with her. Once she had him, she latched onto his neck.

"You're going down!" she roared.

"No, I'm not!" he retorted as he swung back at her.

The two continued to struggle as they neared the waterfall. With a final kick, Jojo sent Pamela over the edge, then got swept up with her. Both hit the water one after another.

"And with that," Chris concluded, "I declare that the winners are…"

…

…

…

…

…

"The Monster Mountains!"

Both Pamela and Jojo emerged from the water and joined their teams.

"But that should have been a tie," Chelsea complained.

"Nope, Pamela fell into the water first," Chris declared. "Monster Mountains, enjoy your reward. Raging Rivers, better look next time."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I'm not mad…well, not as mad. I showed Jojo what he gets for messing with me, and I got to disappoint my team by losing the challenge.

**Garfield-**I guess it's only fair that the other team gets the food. We've got fish, that don't even have that.

**Jojo-**Lesson learned: Don't keep a hungry quarterback from his next meal.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Jojo had hauled the crate over to his shelter.

"I'd say this call for a victory feast!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Ha, no," Calvin laughed. "The only one who deserves anything from this crate is Jojo. And he plans to only share with his friends. Right, Jojo?"

"That's right," Jojo replied.

"This is insane," Ilona exclaimed. "That was a group effort. Jojo never would have won if it hadn't been for all of us."

"Hey, I don't think you want to mess with me," Jojo said. "You saw what I did to everyone else."

"Let it go," Stanley sighed. "It's not worth it."

However, Ilona's group had returned to the forest, Keith came to visit Calvin and his team.

"So, since I got you those mushrooms, perhaps you could share some of that food," Keith asked.

Calvin looked reluctant, but sighed, "Fine, I'm feeling generous."

Keith began helping himself, and when Calvin turned away he stuffed his hoodie full of what he could grab.

"Well, that should do, "he said. "Thanks."

He then scurried after Ilona's group to hand out what he had grabbed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Well, I've got to be in everyone's favor. After all, I don't want them to hate me when I start eliminating them.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"Wow, what a brawl that was," Chris remarked. "Several contestants proved that they can be a force to be reckoned with. Next episode, though, someone else will be leaving. Will Pamela's idol keep her safe? Will Desdemona put another plan in action? Will Calvin be dethroned? Fine out on the next Total Drama Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Shannon had been chasing after the monkey all day. She wielded a stick now and was closing in on it.

"This time I got you and it's not more Little Miss Nice Girl!" she exclaimed.

The monkey dropped to the ground with the idol. However, as it ran it stepped in something sticky. It struggled to get free, but couldn't.

"I'll take that!" Shannon exclaimed as she picked up the idol.

However, it was then that a massive, hairy, black spider crawled down from the trees. It pulled the screeching monkey in closer and devoured it in one bite. Shannon screamed in terror, then ran as fast as she could with the idol clutched tightly in her hands.


	8. Breaking Point

_Author's Note: Total Drama Stranded has been rising in vote on the poll, and I'm quite enjoying it, so that is why you're seeing more updates on this. Rest assured, if you're a fan of ReAction, I haven't forgotten it, I just might be taking a little longer to update._

"Previously on Total Drama Stranded," Chris went through the usual routine, "we pitted the two teams against each other in a wet and wild brawl. While Pamela hoped to screw her team over again, she found new determination after getting annoyed with Misha and Jojo. Pamela showed off the full extent of her wrath, but it still wasn't enough to take down Jojo. So the Monster Mountains won the reward of a box of delicious food. Meanwhile, Shannon learned that Not Quite Loser Island is more dangerous than she first believed. Flowers and monkeys are fun, but giant spiders aren't so much. Will she keep her idol safe, or lose it in the wilderness? And more importantly, who will be joining her and the other losers today? Find out with the new episode of Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

It was very early in the morning when Rusty returned to the camp. It was so early that the sun hadn't even risen yet and there was no light for him to make his way through the beach.

"Ow, oof, ouch!" he exclaimed as he stumbled his way back to the shelter.

The shelter was looking not too shabby anymore. Jason and Esme had actually managed to put together something decent.

"What is all the ruckus!?" Jason snapped as he was awoken.

"Hey, don't start with me!" Rusty snapped back. "I've been having the worst time of my life in this terrible place."

"So, I assume you didn't find the idol," Jason asked.

"No, but I brought some breakfast," Rusty replied as he pointed to a racoon angrily biting at his foot. "He won't leave me alone."

The racoon chittered something angrily as he shook his tiny fist at Rusty.

"His name is Aurelius," Esme declared as she detached the racoon from Rusty. "And he says that you were the one who started it."

"You…can talk to him?" Rusty asked skeptically.

"Aurelius says that he does not care for you," Esme continued.

"Well you can tell Aurelius that he is nothing more than a mangy sack of rabies!" Rusty shouted at the racoon.

The racoon chittered something into Esme's ear.

"Aurelius had some very colourful things to say to you," Esme declared. "But I would rather not repeat them."

"Fine, you can hang out with the disease covered vermin," Rusty scoffed. "I'm going to sleep."

"Aurelius says that this island was much nicer before the first human brought four wooden objects to it," Esme continued to translate.

"Wait a minute!" Rusty exclaimed. "He knows where the idols are hidden! Alright, you little dirtbag, where are they!"

Aurelius bit down on Rusty's jabbing finger defiantly.

"Oh, that's it!" Rusty exclaimed as he begun to swing the racoon up and down on the sand.

"Violence will get you nowhere," Esme cautioned.

"You're right, you're right," Rusty sighed as he put down the racoon and patted his head. "Esme, would you be so kind as to tell Aurelius that if he tells me where the idol is I would gladly share half of my prize money with him?"

Esme turned to the racoon then replied, "Aurelius asks what a racoon would need with prize money."

"Grr!" Rusty exclaimed angrily as he returned to beating the racoon.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jason-**I am surrounded by morons!

* * *

Shannon meanwhile had spent her night sharpening stakes out of branches. With the final one down, she had an entire tree surrounded.

"There, I'd like to see some of those monster spiders get through here," she declared. "Don't worry, my baby, you're safe now."

She pulled out the idol and began snuggling with it.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again," Shannon declared as she climbed up into the tree.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The team didn't have to worry about breakfast today, since they still had some of the food left from their last reward.

"It sure was nice of Keith to bring us some of this," Stanley remarked as he ate a banana.

"But he shouldn't have had to," Ilona pointed out. "We shouldn't have to fight over food within our own team."

"Well, we can't keep winning challenges forever," Briony pointed out. "Pretty soon, Calvin's going to run out of luck and then he'll be gone."

"Do you think the other two will be any better once he's gone?" Stanley asked.

"Hard to say," Ilona replied. "If they want to survive though, they'd better straighten up soon."

Meanwhile, Calvin and his group were also enjoying breakfast in their shelter.

"We should be having another immunity challenge today," Jojo remarked. "Don't worry, you can count on me to win it again."

"Even if you don't I wouldn't mind voting out some of these losers," Calvin replied.

"Yeah," Elijah agreed, but then added, "Um, am I miscounting here or are we outnumbered, though?"

"Numbers don't matter," Calvin scoffed. "We bend their wills however we see fit. Misha and Keith are already to turning to us. And Ilona seems smart enough to realize that we're not going to get far with Briony holding us back. As for Sasha, she's clearly delusional and shouldn't be hard to take advantage of."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I'd rather not lose any challenges, but I certainly have no problem with voting out those that are beneath me. Once we start thinning them out, the remainders will realize that their only hope is to give in to me for good.

**Elijah-**Once we get rid of those guys Calvin doesn't like, maybe I'll finally have a chance with Ilona.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The Raging Rivers were once again eating fish for breakfast.

"You know team, I've got a good feeling that we're going to win this challenge," Chelsea told everyone as they sat together. "I know we haven't had the best of luck with immunity yet, but now that we've filtered out the riffraff I think we've got a fighting chance."

"That's wonderful," Desdemona replied. "I would hate for us to have to start voting for each other."

"It's something none of us enjoy," Garfield sighed. "But that's how the game works."

Meanwhile, there were two members who were sitting apart from the team. Pamela and the masked boy seemed to make the spotted rock their meeting place. Or at least, that was where the masked boy would often meet Pamela; she didn't make as much of an effort.

"You did good last challenge," the masked boy said.

"I threw it," Pamela declared somberly. "I just wanted to see your faces when you thought that I might actually win."

"Well, you seemed pretty determined up there," the masked boy declared.

"Then I must have had you all fooled pretty good," Pamela replied.

"Well, regardless of your intentions, you were impressive," the masked boy praised. "If you actually wanted to win—"

"I don't," Pamela interrupted.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Chelsea isn't done "filtering out the riffraff" by a long shot. If you're not her, Garfield, Matilda, and maybe that masked guy, you're in trouble. That's why it's up to me to do something about this.

**Masked Boy-**Pamela's resentment quickly turned to steel determination when she went up against Misha and Jojo. That might be the key to her helping our team.

**Pamela-**I have no intention of helping my team win anything. I have the idol so if we lose then that's just one more of those chumps out of here.

* * *

"Hey guys, what's up?" Riley said as he left the shelter.

Suddenly he got an answer to his question. A heavy safe dropped out of the sky and right onto his foot.

"Ow, that hurts!" Riley cried.

"Hm, looks like either a bank delivery service broke down, or Chris is ready for the challenge," Chelsea remarked.

"Bank? Like, we're rich!" Matilda cheered.

"I'm pretty sure it's the latter," Garfield said to a disappointed Matilda.

Meanwhile, on the Monster Mountains' side, Keith was asking the same question as Riley.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" he asked to Calvin as his group.

"I dunno," Jojo shrugged. "Some safe fell from the sky about half an hour ago."

"Wouldn't it have been funny if Keith had asked that question right when it fell," Elijah laughed.

"Funny, but not likely," Calvin remarked. "But I'm guessing it has to do with a challenge, so we'd better get ready."

"Good morning, campers!" Chris's voice blared down on both camps.

"Aren't you going to assault us with one of your TVs?" Briony asked.

"Hey, we've got a budget to maintain here," Chris declared. "Anyways, for this next challenge you have each been given a safe. Taped to the bottom are five photos, each showing the location of a key. The safe will only open when you have all five keys. If you do this first, you win immunity as well as whatever's inside the safe."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I'm telling you, we are not gonna lose again. Today is the day of Raging Rivers! Ra ra ra!

**Jojo-**Hm, finding keys isn't exactly a sport, but you can bet that I'll still give it 110 percent!

**Riley-**Good, this challenge sounds easy…so the other guys won't mind if I skip out.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The team had retrieved the photos and were now looking over them. One showed a log, one showed a cave, another showed a waterfall, the fourth showed the Dock of Shame, and the final one only showed a rock.

"Okay, team, if we're going to do this we'll have to divide up into teams," Chelsea declared. "We're a little shorthanded, so I'm thinking it'll be mostly solos or pairs."

"Oh, I vote me and Garfield as a team," Matilda exclaimed.

"That can work," Chelsea said. "You guys can look for this one with the log. Check around the forest, Chris couldn't have put it too far."

"Will do," Garfield exclaimed.

Chelsea then eyed Pamela and said, "I definitely don't trust you alone. Masky, can you keep an eye on her?"

"Not a problem," the masked boy replied.

"I'm dripping with excitement," Pamela scoffed.

"You guys can head to the Dock of Shame," Chelsea declared.

"That's where Pamela's going if we lose anyways," Matilda whispered to Garfield.

"That leaves me on the waterfall," Chelsea continued, "Desdemona on this cave and…ugh, Riley."

"Yo," Riley replied to his name.

"You'll be in charge of finding this rock," Chelsea declared. "Don't screw this up."

"Check, I'll get right on that," Riley said as he sat down.

"Um…what are you doing?" Chelsea asked.

"Well, I need to be at full strength if I'm going to be any use," Riley complained.

"Get moving," Chelsea ordered.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Okay, maybe our team still has a little deadweight. I think we can work past this, though.

**Riley-**I should have known she wouldn't listen to reason. That Chelsea girl is a real target; I can't be the only one who thinks that.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The team was also looking over the photos. Most were the same except for one showing several pinnacles.

"Well, we'll have to break into pairs," Ilona declared.

"Oh, oh!" Elijah said as he waved his hand back and forth. "I request to be paired with the sexiest girl on the team."

"Who's that?" Ilona asked perplexed.

"Duh, you," Elijah replied.

"Oh," Ilona replied not knowing what to say

Calvin slapped his forehead and pulled Elijah aside.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Relax, it's all part of the master plan," Elijah replied, then turning back to Ilona. "So, will that work?"

"Well, I suppose I should keep an eye on you," Ilona said.

"Fine, I volunteer to work with Briony," Calvin said with a devious grin.

"No freaking way," Briony denied.

"I think it's a great idea," Stanley exclaimed. "That way I get Jojo all to myself."

"Ah!" Jojo cried. "No, Calvin and I can work together."

Calvin slapped his forehead again.

"I think I'll send Misha with Briony," Ilona declared. "And Stanley, can you work with Sasha?"

"Absolutely," Stanley replied.

"And that leaves," Ilona concluded.

"Me," Keith said. "Don't worry, I don't mind working alone."

"Good, here are the photos," Ilona said. "I'll take this one with a log, Calvin, you take the waterfall, Briony, you get the dock, Stanley, you take this peaks, and Keith you'll be on the cave."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Elijah with a master plan? I don't think so. The only plan he has is to get into Ilona's pants. Oh well, I'll worry about him later, right now it's Briony who should be afraid.

**Misha-**Great, I'm stuck with the whiny cow. It's bad enough pretending to like her, now I have to work with her?

* * *

(Matilda and Garfield)

The two walked through the forest, searching for any logs. Well, Garfield was searching, Matilda was too busy talking.

"…And my mostest favorite beverage is cream soda," Matilda said. "What do you think?"

"Uh-huh, it's pretty good," Garfield said while searching the ground.

"Yea! You sure have good tastes, they're like almost the same as mine," Matilda exclaimed. "There was this one time where, like, I went to this party, and, like, they thought they could pass off Kool-Aid mixed with Mountain Dew as a legitimate drink, and I was like, 'no way,' that is so unhot right now. I mean, maybe it was hot a couple years ago, and like, maybe it will be in a couple more years, but right now, that's like, totally not something you want to serve at your party, you know?"

"Uh-huh," Garfield replied still not looking at her.

"Yea!" Matilda cheered again.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Matilda-**Garfield is such a good friend. He was, like, listening to every word I was saying. A lot of my friends back home, are always like telling me that I talk, like, waaaaay too much. Like, this one time, I was talking about, like, some super show I saw on TV. And I was all like, "It's sooo good," and then—(screen turns to static.)

* * *

(Ilona and Elijah)

"Sooo…it's just me and you alone in the forest now," Elijah said as he followed Ilona.

"It is," Ilona replied while stepping over shrubs as she searched for the log.

"I think this might a good chance for us to, you know, get to know each other," Elijah suggested.

"I think this would be a good time to help me find what we're looking for," Ilona insisted.

"Okay, okay, I can multitask," Elijah exclaimed. "I can work hard, if that's what you like. Just tell me the kind of guy you're into and I'll be that."

"The kind of guy I respect is one who works well as a team," Ilona said with irritation growing in her voice. "One who doesn't cause conflict with his own teammates."

"Ah, you're still upset about all that," Elijah shrugged.

Ilona sighed as she picked up the pace.

"Hey, hey, wait up," Elijah exclaimed as he tried to keep up with her. "I'm just thinking, maybe you can ignore that tiny detail, I don't think Calvin will be too happy if—"

Elijah was stopped when a branch Ilona had pushed aside swung back to slap him in the face.

"Ow," he said as he rubbed the red mark on his cheek.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**It's really hard to please everyone. I'm in an alliance with Calvin, who basically says I can't flirt with the girls until they admit defeat. But even if I wanted to get with Ilona, she says she won't until I leave the alliance. It's a vicious circle out to get me, I tell you.

**Ilona-**I'm sorry, but there is no reason as to why I would respect Elijah. He is a spineless follower who does not use his head to think.

* * *

(Desdemona)

Desdemona had decided to investigate the side of the mountain. She walked along the side of the mountain until she eventually spotted a gaping hole in its side.

"Bingo!" she exclaimed.

"Desdemona, funny meeting you here," she heard a voice say from above.

She looked up to see Keith hanging from a tree.

"It would seem as though our photos have led us to the same cave," Keith declared as he dropped down.

"I'm not surprised," Desdemona replied with her airy voice. "Our fates seemed to be intertwined."

"Mm, glad to see that you're still going with that," Keith said to her.

"I do not understand what you mean," Desdemona replied. "This is something I have always believed."

"Yeah, sure," Keith shrugged. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a key to find."

Keith stepped into the cave and Desdemona followed behind. It got dark fast as they hunched through it, but not so dark that they couldn't make out their surroundings.

"So, how has your team been?" Keith asked as he felt around the ground.

"Pretty good," Desdemona replied as she traced her hand over the ledges jutting from the wall. "A few troublemakers, but every team can expect some source of problems."

"So, I assume that means that you are staying out of trouble," Keith asked.

"But of course, I merely report the voices, I do not take influence the turn of events," Desdemona declared. "But what about yourself? I see your Eye of observation getting you into some trouble."

"Trust me, out of everyone on me team, I've got the least to worry about," Keith chuckled.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**That Keith thinks he's so smug. Well, I'm glad that I'm not on his team, because he seems to have something against me.

**Keith-**I don't have anything against, Desdemona. I just see her for what she is, a phony. And that's something I can exploit. Sadly, she's no on my team so I'll just leave it to the Rivers to figure it out.

* * *

(Calvin and Jojo)

"You know where the waterfall is, right?" Calvin asked as they climbed downward.

"Of course, we were just there," Jojo replied.

"Good, you take that alone, I'm going after Briony," Calvin declared.

"But, Ilona said," Jojo tried to protest.

"Listen to you, taking orders from Ilona!" Calvin snapped. "She's not the boss of us. We should be telling her what to do."

"Right," Jojo replied.

"Just find that key," Calvin ordered.

"You got it," Jojo said.

Calvin then took off on a different route. He followed their usual path to the Dock of Shame at a brisk pace. It wasn't hard for him to catch up with Briony. Misha was already several steps ahead.

"Wait up, I can't walk as fast as you," Briony called.

"Just leave it to me," Misha called back. "I can find that key faster if I go ahead alone."

And with that, Misha disappeared over a hill. Briony struggled to try to keep up with her, but her legs couldn't carry her that fast.

"You know why she actually left, right?" Calvin sneered as he stepped forward. "Because you're a useless, annoying, freak and no one can stand to be around you."

"What are you doing here?!" Briony snapped.

"Oh, are you going to call for help?" Calvin taunted. "Who's going to save you? That girl who just abandoned you?"

"Just get out of my way," Briony ordered as she shoved him aside.

"I don't think so," Calvin replied as he grabbed onto her bun.

Briony was suddenly pulled back in pain as he tugged at her hair.

"Let go of me!" she cried as she tried to swipe at him.

"Fine," Calvin replied as he shoved her down.

She stumbled over a rock and fell right into a puddle of mud.

"Are you ready to give up?" Calvin asked as he stood over her.

"You're a monster!" Briony cried as she tossed mud in Calvin's face.

While Calvin was caught off guard, she bolted after Misha.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Briony-**I don't see what Calvin's plan is, he is simply making himself a bigger—I am going to f**king murder him!

* * *

(Chelsea)

Chelsea had followed the river and climbed up to the where the waterfall was pouring its strongest.

"Hm, now if I was a key, where would I be hiding?" she wondered to herself.

She heard the crunch of footfall behind her and turned around. She saw Jojo landing from higher up.

"Oh, hello, Jojo," she greeted.

"Hey," Jojo said. "I take it we got the same photo."

"Looks like it," Chelsea replied. "Although…there's no reason why we can't work together."

"Huh," Jojo said as he looked at her.

"I mean, there's got to be two different keys here," Chelsea said. "So, even if we are on different teams, I think we can help each other out."

"Sure why not?" Jojo replied.

The two began to investigate rocks on land, underwater, or jutting from the side of the cliff.

"You were quite impressive last challenge," Chelsea said with a blush.

"I kicked your ass, that's for sure," Jojo boasted.

"Well, I'm sure your team is grateful to have such a strong competitor," Chelsea replied as she overturned another rock.

"Oh you bet," Jojo replied. "I'm pretty much carrying my entire team."

"It's too bad that we're on opposing teams," Chelsea sighed. "I think we could have made a lovely…duo."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Okay, maybe I have a tiny crush on Jojo. I mean, he's just so big and strong and sexy and strong…did I say that already?

**Jojo-**Chelsea seems to like me, but then again a lot of girls have _seemed _to like me. I'll just wait and see where this goes.

* * *

(Sasha and Stanley)

"I have seen these peaks before!" Sasha exclaimed. "Follow me, good squire."

Sasha led Stanley further up the mountain. She climbed vigorously, and Stanley tried hard to keep up with her.

"You know, I had hoped that by this point I would have become more than a squire," Stanley said with a smile.

"Oh but of course," Sasha replied. "You've already proven yourself to being a fine knight. One of the finest I've ever met. But you'll still be a squire to me."

"That's nice, I guess," Stanley said.

It was getting cold and windy as they got higher, but Sasha seemed undeterred.

"Here is where we must crawl to the side," Sasha said as she inched her way across a ledge.

Stanley had to be more careful as he wobbled from left to right.

"Then we must take a dive here," Sasha exclaimed as she slid down the mountain and landed on another jutting ledge.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Stanley asked.

"It's completely safe," Sasha replied. "Just so long as you land where I did."

Stanley sighed and carefully crawled down after Sasha.

"Now, the pinnacles be just over yonder," Sasha exclaimed.

Sasha clambered across the mountain easily. Stanley followed and soon they had spotted the scene from the photo.

"Ah, what a lovely sight," Sasha exclaimed.

"And, I think I see the key," Stanley declared as something sparkled in the sunlight.

He reached out and grabbed onto a large bronze key.

"Alright, we've got one down," Stanley declared.

He was ready to head back down the mountain, but he noticed that Sasha seemed to have her attention elsewhere.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"Everything," Sasha replied. "Have a look, Squire, and enjoy the view."

Stanley gazed out at the breathtaking view of the island. He could see the green forest, the coursing river, even the Dock of Shame from this point. All of it looked like a beautifully painted map.

"It's beautiful," he remarked.

"It truly is," Sasha agreed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sasha-**Things like the view of the island or the crystal cave are wonders that would never be thoroughly enjoyed if everyone stayed focused on the challenge.

**Stanley-**We're lucky to have Sasha on our team. I mean, she's a physical threat, and a great person, but she also really helps you just forget about your problems.

* * *

(Pamela and Masked Boy)

The two walked towards the Dock of Shame in silence. About halfway there, the masked boy tried to break the silence.

"You know, there has got to be a reason for your resentment towards all of us," he said. "Would you mind telling me what it is?"

"I already did," Pamela scoffed. "You're all horrible people."

"Well, you seem to be the only one who sees that," the masked boy point out.

"That's because you choose to ignore your own flaws so you can stay happy," Pamela said. "But not me, I've long since accepted that I'm just as rotten as every other human on this planet."

"I might know what you're going through," the masked boy said. "I've held a lot of bitterness inside myself as well."

"I don't need any help from you," Pamela declared angrily.

"You keep saying that everyone is horrible, yet there are people who would gladly help you if you let them," the masked boy insisted.

"I doubt that highly," Pamela continued to scoff." Maybe they'd act like it, but they'd only want something in return, or backstab me when I wasn't expecting it."

"Why can't you just have a little more faith in humanity's decency!?" the masked boy snapped. "Sure there's the bad stuff, but there is a whole look of good in everyone too."

"You don't think I've tried?!" Pamela cried anguished. "You don't think I wanted to be that innocent girl who believed that maybe somewhere out there was a friend who wouldn't stab her in the back?! I've tried, and it doesn't work. I've given up hope."

It was then that the two arrived at the Dock of Shame.

"There it is," the masked boy noted meekly. "I'll go swimming to see if it's hidden underneath."

"Whatever," Pamela sighed.

"You're not going to try and hold me back, or sabotage me?" the masked boy asked in confusion.

"I'm not in the mood," Pamela sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Everyone has a breaking point. I hit mine and I've never gotten unbroken.

**Masked Boy-**Well, I got Pamela to open up somewhat, but she seems to be scarred deeper than I had imagined.

* * *

(Riley)

Riley was pacing around camp in search for the stone from the photo.

"Hey, little rock, where are you?" he called.

He started to leave the clearing, but soon ran out of breath.

"Whoa, all this searching is hard work," he sighed as he sat down on a rock. "I need a break."

Within a few seconds he had fallen asleep again.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**You know, there's probably an equation to show that I'm working the hardest here. If you put the amount of hours I work over the amount of sleep my body requires and…I don't know, I'm not the math genius.

* * *

(Garfield and Matilda)

"…so, I said to the lunch lady, 'like, if you think that fruits and vegetables are separate food groups, like, you should be the one going to school,'" Matilda laughed.

"Uh-huh," Garfield replied. "How does this connect to the iPod in the washing machine?"

"Oh, I'm getting to that," Matilda exclaimed. "But first, I really need to set the scene, you'll get it when I get there, you know."

The two heard some rustling and turned to face the bushes. Ilona emerged.

"Oh, hi," Garfield greeted.

"Hello," Ilona replied. "Have either of you seen a log around here?"

"Nope, and we would know," Garfield replied. "I think we have the same photo."

Elijah emerged from the bushes after Ilona. He was out of breath and had to lean against a tree. That all changed when he spotted Matilda.

"Whoa, you're hot!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, thank you," Matilda blushed. "There are actually two major secrets to that. The first thing is, like, when I go to buy makeup, I always go to the discount bin, just so I can get the right combination of rouge. Of course, I'd never buy anything that was on sale, that would be, like, ridiculous…"

"Perhaps we could work together," Garfield suggested to Ilona. "You and I could search for the keys, while these two…get to know each other."

"I couldn't agree more," Ilona said.

The two turned through the bushes and continued to scan the ground.

"Aha!" Ilona exclaimed as she saw a large, rotting log lying on the grass.

"Finally," Garfield sighed in relief.

Both of them reached in on either end and came out with a key.

"The Monster Mountains keep the lead," Chris's voice announced. "They've got their second, while the Rivers just got their first."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**Matilda is so right for me. Not only is she hot, she knows all the secrets to being hot too. Forget Ilona, I've found my soulmate.

**Ilona-**It's a shame Garfield isn't on our team. I have much more respect for him than the majority of boys I'm stuck with.

* * *

(Chelsea and Jojo)

"Well, we've searched under pretty much every rock," Jojo sighed.

"Hm…I think I see something," Chelsea muttered. "Look over there."

"Yeah, that's called a waterfall," Jojo remarked as he looked where Chelsea was pointing.

"No, behind it," Chelsea said. "I think there's a small cave back there. Probably with two keys inside."

"Do you think we can make it up there?" Jojo asked.

"I can if you give me a boost," Chelsea declared.

Jojo lifted her up and she was able to climb the slippery rocks next to the falling water. Spray splashed over her face repeatedly, but she didn't lose her grip.

"Just about there," she grunted as she tried to swing herself through the water.

This didn't go as planned and she ended up falling downward. She cried out as she prepared for impact. However, Jojo moved quickly and was able to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Wow," Chelsea breathed in shock. "Thanks."

"No problem," Jojo said with a grin.

Chelsea found herself quite enjoying her position, as well as her view of Jojo's blue eyes. Jojo looked down and their eyes met.

Chelsea smiled, but Jojo just said, "Right, I guess you want me to put you down now."

"Right, we've got keys to get," Chelsea declared. "Can you boost me up again? I think this time I can make it."

The two when through with the same process, only this time Chelsea was able to swing herself through the water and into the hole.

"Aha, two keys coming right up!" Chelsea exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I really hope that Jojo doesn't get voted off before the merge. But if what he said is true, then he's the most valuable member of his team, and shouldn't be a target.

* * *

(Desdemona and Keith)

"Are you sure there isn't some other cave?" Desdemona asked as she continued to crawl over the ground. "I mean, you'd think that the keys would be easier to find."

"I don't know, why don't you ask the spirits?" Keith replied.

"I keep telling you, it doesn't work that way," Desdemona insisted. "They tell me what they want, when they want."

"And so far they haven't told you anything about keys, caves, or this challenge?" Keith asked.

"If they had, you can bet that I wouldn't be on the ground getting my grandmother's dress covered in filth," Desdemona said.

Keith had climbed up to a higher point by now. He investigated the various stalactites hanging from the top of the cave. He soon found what he was looking for, a key taped to the side of one of them. However, he remained silent and continued to search. Attached to another stalactite was another key.

"Well, Desdemona, I'm surprised that the spirits didn't warn you," Keith said as he dropped down to the exit.

"Warn me about what?" Desdemona asked.

However, she soon spotted him leaving and was able to put two and two together.

"Hey, come back here, you!" she exclaimed as she darted after Keith.

Keith had the lead, though, and wasn't slowed down by a dress. However, despite his advantage, Desdemona was not about to let him out of her sight. Keith ran quickly between the trees and through the shrubs. Desdemona moved clumsily as she trampled plants and tripped over brambles. Keith had just about lost her, when he charged face first into somebody else.

"Keith, you seem in a hurry," Ilona remarked as she helped him up.

Ilona soon saw the reason why as Desdemona came panting after him.

"Give me…back that…key," she breathed.

"Huh, Keith, did you take her key too?" Ilona asked.

"Yeah, pretty smart, right?" Keith chuckled.

"That is completely dishonorable," Ilona snapped as she snatched the key from.

"What? Do you want to lose?" Keith asked.

"No, but I want the other team to have a fair chance," Ilona declared as she handed the key to Desdemona. "Sorry about that."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**(laughing) Honor? That is going to get Ilona _killed_ out here.

**Ilona-**After working with Garfield, I couldn't let Keith sabotage his chance. I have a code of morals and I will stick to it.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

Both Misha and the masked boy had dived into the water by now as they searched for the key. Pamela sulked by herself under a tree, and two more contestants soon arrived.

"You know what, I'm not listening to a word you're saying," Briony declared with heavy acid dripping from her words.

Calvin followed behind her.

"Well, you should care," Calvin continued. "Because like I said, there's no way anyone will be dumb enough to keep you over me."

"That's a tad hypocritical when your alliance barely has a brain cell between them," Briony scoffed.

"I got it!" the masked boy exclaimed as he surfaced.

"Hooray," Pamela remarked uninterested.

"Let's take this back to camp and see how the others are doing," the masked boy said.

Just as they left, Misha surfaced with her key.

"Got it," she declared as she tossed it to Calvin. "It was just tied to one of the planks."

"Ha," Calvin laughed. "Looks like you won't be voting for me after all. Not that it would have made a difference."

With that he knocked Briony's glasses onto the ground. She reached out to pick them up, but Calvin stepped on them, breaking the glass. In a sudden flash of fury, Briony was on top of Calvin. She pounded down on him savagely while he struggled to get loose.

"You lousy, piece of," Briony's voice was suddenly replaced with a long string of bleeps.

Finally after beating down on Calvin, Briony worked the key out of his hand.

"We are not winning this time!" she declared as she tossed the key into the water.

"No!" Misha cried. "Will never find it now."

"Exactly, good, perfect!" Briony laughed madly. "Now we can finally get rid of this monster.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Briony-**I don't care about calculating the risk or the odds, all I want is that bastard gone!

**Calvin-**(covered in bruises) Well, I wasn't expecting that much from Briony, but she really only made her case worse.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Both teams are down to their final key," Chris declared. "Thanks to Briony, the Monster Mountains need to fishing for theirs, but the Raging Rivers haven't even seen their last one."

The groups were currently regrouping at their camp.

"I got mine," Chelsea, dripping wet, declared.

"Me too," the masked boy, soaking wet, added.

"Had a little bit of trouble, but here it is," Desdemona, covered in sweat and dirt, declared.

"Well…I didn't have much of a problem," Garfield said as he looked over what everyone else had been through.

"But, like, where's Riley?" Matilda asked.

The team spread out and soon found him asleep on a rock.

"Riley, wake up," Chelsea ordered.

"Huh," Riley yawned as his eyes were open. "Oh, I was looking for it. It was just taking a lot of energy."

"Riley, look down," Chelsea said.

Riley looked down to see that he was in fact sleeping on the very rock he was looking for.

"Oh, imagine that," he muttered.

Chelsea rolled her eyes, but flipped the rock over. Sure enough, there was their final key.

"We did it," Garfield exclaimed.

"Now let's open that safe," Chelsea declared.

She collected all the keys and stuck them into the five locks on the safe. The door creaked open as confetti sprung out.

"Congratulations!" Chris exclaimed. "The Raging Rivers win their first immunity challenge. And as a bonus, get to keep the prize inside the safe."

Matilda pulled out a tacky sweater that read, 'World's Greatest Grandmother.'

"Well…in several decades I might have a need for that," Chelsea declared.

"Monster Mountains," Chris continued, "it's time to vote someone off. Meet at the Dock of Shame where you may discuss who will be leaving."

* * *

(Later, Dock of Shame)

"Briony has lost it," Calvin declared. "Look at me, look what she did to me. And she's the reason we lost the challenge. I'm not just saying that this time, she seriously threw the challenge. We'd be way better off if we lost her."

"The only reason any of this happened is because of him!" Briony declared as she jabbed a finger at Calvin. "He's a heartless rat and we all know it, so let's finally get rid of him."

"Hm, I'd like to discuss this without the two of you," Ilona declared as she dragged some of the others aside with her. "What do you think, guys?"

"Calvin needs to go," Stanley declared. "Sure, Briony went a little overboard, but this team is only going to work if he leaves."

"But Briony is so scary," Misha declared with her quivering voice. "What if she doesn't get better and only gets worse."

"Misha brings up a good point," Ilona sighed. "I don't want to have Briony keep throwing challenges if she gets upset."

"No," Stanley insisted. "Ilona, you should know that Calvin has been putting her through far too much. He is the one who is destroying our team."

"Your right," Ilona said with a nod. "He's far too overstayed his welcome."

* * *

(Elimination Ceremony)

"Well, Monster Mountains, how does it feel to lose?" Chris asked.

"Terrible," Jojo sighed. "I let my team down."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Keith said with a shrug.

"It feels great!" Briony cackled. "Now we can finally start voting people off."

"Hm, seems to be a mixed bag," Chris noted. "Well, I have eight pinecones for only eight of you. Let's start with Ilona."

Ilona caught her pinecone.

"Keith."

"Stanley."

"Elijah."

"Misha."

"Jojo."

"Sasha."

It came down to Briony and Calvin. Both were glaring at each other in silence. Calvin had a smug grin, while Briony had a hateful glare.

"And the final pinecone goes to," Chris concluded, "…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Calvin!"

"What!" Briony cried. "That's impossible, that's absolutely impossible."

"The votes are all here," Chris noted. "More people wanted you gone than Calvin."

"You betrayed me!?" Briony shrieked. "You stabbed me in the back and kept him over me?!"

"Briony, let's go," Chris said as he dragged her to the end of the dock.

"Don't think that this is over, Calvin!" Briony exclaimed. "The game isn't going to protect you, I won't just disappear when I leave. I will find you. I will hunt you down and—Ahhh!"

"So long," Chris said as he launched her into the sky. "And as for the rest of you, you may return to your camp."

* * *

(Later, Monster Mountains)

"What happened?" Stanley asked with fury as he returned to the shelter. "Who voted for Briony?"

"I'm so sorry," Misha said with a sob. "She just scared me, and I made a mistake."

Stanley sighed, but didn't say anything.

"Still," Keith noted, "that would only be four votes against Briony, and five for Calvin. Someone else must have flipped."

"Why are you looking at me?" Ilona asked.

"Well, you did seem to think that voting Briony was a good idea," Stanley pointed out.

"I considered it, but I realized that Calvin was the much better choice," Ilona declared. "You were right, he is tearing this team apart and I want him gone."

"I seem to recall you mentioning how you're playing honorably," Keith said. "Well, I don't know about you, but it seems to be that throwing a challenge is a very dishonorable thing to do. And it might give someone like Ilona a reason to vote them off."

"I didn't vote for her!" Ilona snapped.

"Well, if you didn't, then who did?" Keith asked.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The team was celebrating their first immunity win. They had a large fire going on as well as more fish being served. Chelsea and Matilda danced around the fire whimsically while Garfield clapped for them. Even Riley and Desdemona could break a smile and enjoy the fun. The masked boy however, had gone back to the spotted rock where Pamela was sitting.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked.

"Did that ever stop you?" Pamela scoffed.

The masked boy sat down next to her.

"I told you, I don't want any help," Pamela insisted.

"I know," the masked boy replied. "But I also know how painful being alone can be."

"I'd rather be alone that have to listen any of you morons," Pamela declared.

"I won't say a word," the masked boy promise. "But I'm here."

Pamela remained silent as she leaned out and looked up at the stars. The masked boy joined her and the two of them remained that way in peaceful silence.

* * *

**Votes:**

**Calvin-**Briony, it's time to stop holding back the team and let those that deserve to be here take over.

**Stanley-**Calvin, I don't know what your game is, but you've made yourself an enemy to all of us.

**Briony-**Calvin, Calvin, Calvin, Calvin!

**Jojo-**Briony, when you mess with my bro, you mess with me. And you don't to mess with a quarterback.

**Sasha-**Calvin doesn't deserve to call himself a leader, let alone a person. He is a monstrous orc and it is time for him to go.

**Misha-**I vote for Briony. She was bad enough, but throwing a challenge? Nope, you're not getting away with that.

**Elijah-**See ya, Briony. I another life we could have been together, but I would have dumped you for someone prettier eventually.

**Ilona-**I vote for Calvin. It's your fault any of this stuff is happening.

**Keith-**Time to drive a wedge between one alliance. I vote for Briony, and when Ilona takes the blame, it'll be easy to turn everyone against each other, just like I want.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And it's goodbye, Briony," Chris declared. "Calvin lives for another day, but can he do it again? Will Raging Rivers win another immunity, or was this a onetime thing? And do I detect a hint of love in the air? Much more is still to come so don't miss the next Total…Drama…Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"Okay, okay," Rusty said as he looked on the verge of tearing his hair out. "You tell Aurelius that if I win the prize I will use have of it to turn this island into a natural reserve for racoons. Complete with lots of tasty food, things to hoard, and swinging lady racoons."

Esme turned to the racoon and replied, "Aurelius wants it in writing."

"Oh, fine!" Rusty said turning red. "Does anyone have a pen and paper?"

Esme handed him both.

"I hereby declare," Rusty said as he wrote, "that should I win the prize, I will donate half of the money into making this island a racoon reserve. Signed, Rusty."

Aurelius accepted the paper and looked it over. Then nodded.

"Ahhhh!" they heard someone approaching.

"Here comes our next guest," Esme noted.

Rusty looked up, but was crushed as Briony landed on him.

"Ugh, where am I?" Briony moaned.

Esme pointed to the sign. Briony read the sign and started to cackle maniacally, lightning clashed behind her.

"Ahahaha! Calvin I'll be back for you!" she laughed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**Whoa, I thought I had a pretty good evil laugh, but evidently I need to work on it.

**Briony-**I will not be satisfied until Calvin pays for his sins. Everyone had better stand out of my way because I will let nothing stop me from returning.

_Author's Note: My intentions behind Briony were to have a bit of a decoy character. She was an underdog who wanted to use her brain over brawn, she was abused by a villain, she could have easily become a protagonist, yet instead she just became a victim of Calvin._


	9. Ghouling Around

"On the previous episode of Total Drama Stranded," Chris announced, "the two teams had to search for five keys hidden over the island. They soon split into groups where we got to take a look at some of the relations. Chelsea admitted to having a crush on Jojo, but he's whether he returns the affections remains to be seen. That masked guy continued to try to offer his hand to Pamela. While she slapped it away repeatedly, she did show a vulnerable side. And of course Elijah tried to flirt with every girl he set his eyes on. The Monster Mountains seemed to have the lead, but then Briony snapped and threw the challenge. Thus the Raging Rivers got immunity and a lovely sweater, while the Monster Mountains went to elimination. While it looked like Calvin might be heading home, the combined votes of Misha and Keith were enough to get Briony ejected. Then Keith turned the blame onto honorable Ilona. The campers' teamwork will be tested to the extreme today so they had better iron out the kinks or else they'll be in trouble."

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Rusty was in the bushes with the racoon, Aurelius. Aurelius was currently point outwards at a large tree surrounded by pikes. Rusty peeked out and examined the tree. He was able to make out the figure of Shannon sitting in the tree.

"It's with her?" Rusty asked.

Aurelius nodded and continued to point.

"Okay, go get it," Rusty ordered.

Aurelius began chittering agitated.

"Aurelius says that if he's going to help anymore he will require a lifetime supply of smoked salmon," Esme declared as she appeared behind Rusty.

"Ah! Don't sneak up on me like that," Rusty snapped. "And as for this greedy little racoon, you can tell him he has a deal as long as he doesn't live any longer than five more years."

Having heard the new deal, Aurelius shrugged and scampered towards the tree. The sound of someone approaching reached Rusty's ears, and he quickly ducked down into the bush. Briony walked right past him and continued on past the tree.

"Um, excuse me?" Shannon called. "I'd rather you not go over there. There's at least one giant spider, and I'd rather not see anymore."

"Ha, that's not going to stop me from getting my revenge," Briony declared madly.

"Uh, yeah, it's not exactly you, I'm worried about, it's me," Shannon declared.

Briony ignored her and kept on walking.

"Fine, be that way," Shannon sniffed. "Don't worry, my precious idol, I'll keep you safe."

However, when she looked down at her hands, she saw nothing there.

"What? Where is it!?" she cried.

She looked down in time to see a racoon scurrying away with her idol.

"Noooo!" Shannon cried.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"We did it boys, we got rid of her," Calvin declared proudly as he stood at the front of the shelter.

"Who's next?" Jojo asked. "Can it please be Stanley? Every second he's around me I feel violated."

"We'll have to wait and see," Calvin replied. "So far, Stanley had proven to be the most level-headed and the most likely to see reason if we just remove those around him."

"Well, just so long as we keep Ilona around I'm happy," Elijah declared. "I really think I might have a chance with her."

Meanwhile, in the forest area, Stanley was lying awake alone in a tree.

"Hey, not sleeping with the rest?" Keith asked as he dropped down from a higher branch.

"I just needed to get some thinking down," Stanley sighed. "I thought for sure that we'd be seeing the last of Calvin, but then I was really thrown off guard when Briony actually left instead."

"Don't worry, as long as the five of us stick together, we can take him out next time," Keith declared. "I promise, I won't let anything happen to you or your friends."

"Thanks," Stanley replied with a faint smile. "How exactly can you promise that, though?"

"Well, I hate to brag, but I know this game pretty well," Keith declared. "It only takes one person to throw off a vote, and all that takes is a slight nudge."

"Hm, well, you seem to know what you're talking about," Stanley said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**With Briony gone I hope that the others realize that they can't win. Just as I suspected, others came to my side when it actually came down between the two of us. Soon I'll have everyone in my palm.

**Elijah-**Matilda is a real cutie, but I'm not going to rule out Ilona yet. I've got to keep my options open after all.

**Stanley-**I was really surprised to learn that not one, but two of the people I trusted voted for Briony. Misha confessed, but I still don't know who the other one was. Obviously it wasn't me or Briony, and I trust Sasha enough to believe her, so that just leaves Ilona or Keith. Both of them are my friends, but one of them is lying to me.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Garfield woke early, yet he was not the first one up. As he stretched out, he realized that Desdemona was out and sitting on the ground. She was fiddling with ash from last night's fire.

"Good morning," Garfield greeted. "What are you up to?"

"Well, I was quite happy with yesterday's victory," Desdemona said, "but something has been nagging at the back of my head. Something bad is coming, and I was hoping these ashes would give an explanation."

"And have they?" Garfield asked.

"It takes time," Desdemona replied. "I keep getting the same image, that there is a demon among us. Yet I can never get a clear focus of what that means."

"Hello, guys," Chelsea greeted as she and Matilda awoke. "What's up?"

"I was just warning Garfield about the demon that I have seen," Desdemona declared. "Someone on this team will be bringing great misfortune."

"Well, that's obviously Pamela," Chelsea declared. "We don't need a fortune-teller to know that."

"Oh, I just had another idea," Matilda exclaimed. "What if it's, like, that masked guy? I mean, what if he's actually some evil mastermind with like an eye patch and scarred face which is, like, why he never shows his face?"

"Girls, let's not overreact here," Garfield said. "We just won immunity and we won't have to worry about voting anyone out for at least another day. Let's just enjoy this time."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**It's working. If I instill enough suspicion in them, they'll turn on each other and won't even think of me.

**Matilda-**I'm just saying, it could be like anyone who we think we can trust. Except, like, Desdemona, obviously, 'cause why would she tells us if it was her?

**Garfield-**I'd like to think that everyone on my team is a good person. Even Pamela, although she is very angry. So, I don't believe Desdemona when she says that one of us is some traitor.

* * *

"Lights out, campers!" Chris laughed from his helicopter.

He then released two canisters down on the camps. Both of them expelled a black gas that instantly put everyone to sleep. Chris began laughing manically as the campers collapsed to the group in unison.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Uh, where are we?" Misha moaned as she rubbed her head and looked around.

They were in a dark area. Due to the thickness of the trees, it was impossible to tell if it was day or night; it was simply dark. The trees had a sickly look to them, though, not like the lush trees that they had seen before.

"Ambushed!" Sasha exclaimed as she woke up. "I should have been prepared for such a lowly tactic."

"So, Chris knocked us out and dragged us here?" Stanley remarked. "Wherever here is."

"Hey guys, look at this," Keith exclaimed as he held up a tape recorder.

"Maybe it's got Chris's instructions on it," Elijah suggested.

Keith pushed play and Chris's voice declared, "Campers, welcome to The Forbidden Pit. It is a part of the island that is rumored to have once been a Native burial ground. It's no pleasant place, that's for sure, and you may even run into a few spooks. So, the first team to find their way out well win a special reward. That is all."

"Spooks?" Stanley asked.

In response to his question, the team heard a low moaning. Jojo immediately ducked down and covered his head, Ilona tensed up, and Elijah cowered behind Calvin for cover.

"It's probably just Chris with his special effects," Misha declared.

"Probably," Ilona agreed, "but there's no shame in being scared."

"Who said anything about being scared?" Jojo said defensively. "I'm not scared, nothing scares me. Come on, let's go."

The team began to wander through the eerie forest.

"Hey, Ilona, aren't you part Indian?" Calvin asked. "Can't you tell your ancestors to leave us alone?"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," Ilona declared as she marched forward.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**Don't tell anyone but…I'm scared!

**Misha-**Oh please, Chris, it's going to take more than some of your low budget features to scare me. The others might be gullible idiots, but I'm not.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The team had also gotten up and had listened to Chris's message.

"Don't worry, guys, as long as we stick together we should stay safe," Chelsea declared.

"I beg to differ," Pamela scoffed. "I'm willing to be that Chris has a horde of zombies ready to devour us."

Matilda turned pale and looked like she was ready to faint.

"Don't be ridiculous," Garfield said. "There's no way Chris could get actual zombies, and even if he could, there's no way he would make a challenge deadly."

The Rivers were about to head off, when they realized that they were missing someone.

"Riley!" Chelsea called to the sleeping boy.

"Hang on, I think some of that knockout gas is still affecting me," Riley declared.

"Alright, then we'll just leave you here alone in the spooky forest," Chelsea said tauntingly.

"Fine by me," Riley replied.

"We'd better not do it," Garfield said to Chelsea. "Chris might not count it unless all of us escape."

"Fine, time for plan B," Chelsea declared as she pulled out her baton.

She then used it to prod Riley in the back as she ordered, "Okay, let's go, hurry up, come on!"

"Alright, I'm going," Riley whined. "Jeez."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**If I was a strategic thinker, I would come up with a way to get rid of Chelsea. But I'm not so I'll just let someone else deal with it.

**Matilda-**Horror movies are like so hot right now…but still I'd rather not be in one.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The team walked slowly through the Forbidden Pit. With every snap or crunch that could be heard, several heads jerked nervously.

"There's nothing out there," Misha declared. "We just need to keep moving."

However, only a few steps more and they were attacked. The ghastly creatures looked like dirty, torn sheets that floated through the air. They had horrible faces of agony at the head of each of them. There was at least ten, surrounding the entire group. As they got closer they revealed tentacles hanging from beneath them.

"Just special effects, just special effects," Misha chanted.

"Mommy!" Jojo cried as he jumped into Stanley's arms.

"Back, you creatures of the Devil!" Sasha exclaimed as she grabbed a stick. "You do not want to taste the blade of Lady Sasha."

As they continued to approach, Sasha jabbed at them with her 'sword.' The creatures seemed easily injured, as every time she struck them, they backed off immediately. Ilona followed Sasha's idea and grabbed a stick to fight off the creatures. However, some of the ghouls also proved to be dangerous. One got close enough to wrap its tentacles around Elijah's arms and drag him along the dirt.

"Not so fast!" Keith exclaimed as he tossed some stones at the creature.

"Keith, behind you!" Misha cried as she tossed a stick to Keith.

Keith was able to twirl around and smack the creature back with his stick.

"Get out of here!" Ilona shouted as she chased off some more of the ghouls.

The creatures seemed to take the message and retreated.

"Well, now we know what we're up against," Keith noted.

"So, Jojo," Stanley said as he looked at him in his arms, "am I going to have to carry you out of here? Not that I have a problem with that but—"

"Ack!" Jojo exclaimed as he leapt out of Stanley's arms.

"Alright, team, we're going to need to be a little more careful," Ilona declared. "The strongest of us should take the lead and the rear."

"Hey, hey, I don't like this," Calvin ordered. "No one put you in charge."

"Now is not the time," Ilona sighed in frustration. "We're going to need a leader to get out of here safely."

"Right, and I should be that leader," Calvin declared. "And so I'll be taking my own path and will be getting out of here much faster. Who's with me?"

No one said anything.

"Jojo, Elijah?" Calvin asked.

"I think it might be better if we stick with Ilona," Elijah declared.

"Ditto," Jojo added.

"Fine, I can escape from here all on my own," Calvin declared as he marched off in another direction. "You'll owe me once I win the reward for our team."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I was supposed to gain allies from eliminating Briony, not lose them. I suppose another example needs to be set. I can handle that.

**Jojo-**Can you blame me for being a little nervous? I'm a brave guy, right, it's just that…well, how would you react to a horde of ghouls?!

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The team was currently wandering through the darkness. There was a bit of distance between some of them, but they could all make out each other. Chelsea and the masked boy both had the lead. Garfield followed behind with Matilda clinging onto him. Desdemona and Pamela trailed behind them, with Riley bringing up the rear at a sluggish pace.

"Shh!" the masked boy exclaimed. "You hear that? Get down."

Everyone quickly found a place to crouch next to a tree of under a bush. They held their breaths as a swarm of ghouls flew overhead. It wasn't until they had all vanished that the campers risked stepping out.

"What were those?" Chelsea said nervously.

"This seriously just went from, like, spooktacular to freaktastic," Matilda exclaimed.

"Let's just move silently," Garfield suggested. "If we hear them coming again, we can hide again."

No one disagreed with that plan. They continued, even slower than before. They didn't have any more incidents, until they arrived at a rickety bridge across a gap.

"Well, at least we know we're, like, going the right way," Matilda said.

"How do you figure that?" Desdemona asked.

"Well obviously if Chris put a bridge in the course, then, like, he totally expects us to cross it," Matilda explained. "It's not like he'd just be like, 'here's a bridge…it doesn't go anywhere,' you know?"

"I'll take your word for it," Desdemona said.

"Well, it could easily be a trap," Garfield said. "Maybe one of us should go ahead to have a look around."

"I'll go," the masked boy volunteered. "I already blend it pretty well here."

Carefully the masked boy was able to get across the wobbly bridge. Despite it shaking, it didn't show any signs of collapsing. The boy arrived at the other end and took a quick look around. Seeing nothing, he waved the others to follow.

"Careful now," Garfield cautioned as Chelsea stared to cross the bridge.

Once she was halfway over, he followed with Matilda trailing behind him.

"Look out!" the masked boy cried.

It was too late, though. The three were out in the open and easy targets for the swooping ghouls. Their tentacles wrapped around the three campers as they carried them off into the air. Chelsea tried to struggle, but looking down realized that it may be a bad idea. As the final ghoul swooped down, it sliced the ropes on the bridge causing it to collapse down into the abyss.

"This is bad," Desdemona said bluntly to the remaining campers around her.

"Really? I thought it was a pretty good show," Pamela remarked. "I wonder if they're going to boil them or something, or if they'll just eat them raw."

"Shut up, we've got to save them," Desdemona declared. "We'll have to go the long away around and follow those monsters."

"Does this mean we have to run?" Riley said reluctantly.

"Yes, get to it!" Desdemona ordered.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**If it wasn't for this gimmick I think I'd make a pretty good captain. Of course, I'd then be voted off, which is what I'm trying to avoid.

**Riley-**Why is it always 'get things done quickly,' or 'use all your energy?' Why can't there be a 'go at your leisurely pace,' challenge?

**Pamela-**I think Chris got the right idea with this challenge. This'll show that egotistical cheerleader that she's not always in control.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The team minus Calvin had continued to explore the seemingly never-ending forest.

"What was that?" Jojo exclaimed nervously as he heard a sound from behind them.

Stanley turned around to see something approaching from the shadows. He didn't have to think twice.

"Run!" he cried.

The team burst into a sprint. Jojo and Ilona easily took the lead, while Misha followed behind. The rest filled up the rear. Keith had risked glancing back and saw that it was another group of the ghouls, only there were much more now.

"Don't stop now!" he called.

However, suddenly Ilona and Jojo disappeared. Misha barely had time to wonder what had happened before stumbling over the edge. It turned out that there was a large dip in the ground that had trapped the three of them. Stanley, Sasha, Keith, and Elijah soon followed into the hole.

"Come on, we can still climb out on the other end," Ilona declared.

The team continued to run, but the ghouls were gaining on them.

"Ah!" Stanley cried as tentacles wrapped around him.

Ilona immediately turned around and grabbed onto him. The ghouls were splitting up now, trying to encompass the team. Jojo froze up as they neared him.

"Come on, man, smack them aside," Elijah said.

Jojo raised his fists shakily, then passed out. Elijah sighed as he leapt in front of his friend and began swatting at the ghouls. Keith helped him out by tossing more rocks at the incoming creatures. Misha had made it through and Sasha followed behind.

"Quick, give me boost," Misha ordered.

Sasha lifted Misha up and the girl was able to flip back onto level ground. She then reached out her hand and helped Sasha up.

"Wow, you're strong," Sasha exclaimed.

"Uh…adrenaline rush?" Misha suggested. "Now, we need to find a way to help the others out. We need to get a log or something that they can climb up."

"Right," Sasha said as she quickly searched the ground.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Right now I don't even care if I slip up a little. If I can prove that I am capable of saving the team then maybe I'll start getting the respect I deserve, hopefully without revealing my full potential. I doubt that Sasha will notice, she's a little out of it.

* * *

Calvin was moving fast as he ran in his own direction. He heard a noise above him, but chose to ignore it. He simply kept moving from tree to tree as quickly as he could. He could hear rustling, and shadows moving around. He glanced around and saw that several ghouls were descending in on him. He sped up, but the phantoms were closing in on him.

"Aah!" he cried out as the tentacles wrapped around him.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The masked boy crept carefully in the shadows. He made certain that he never moved too quickly for too long. He had to stay hidden if he wanted to stand a chance. The ghouls never disappeared, but he was able to evade them without much trouble. He looked up in the direction where Chelsea, Matilda, and Garfield had disappeared, yet he saw no sign of them.

The three of them currently had been taken to a tall tree. The tree didn't quite break the barrier blocking the sky, but it was clearly a painful fall down. The ghouls dropped the three down on a branch near the top. Chelsea took the first chance she could to attack.

"Hiya!" she exclaimed as she twirled around and kicked the nearest ghoul aside.

It was difficult keeping her balance on the branch, but it was strong enough that it didn't break or wobble with her movement.

"Come on guys, we have to get out of here," she exclaimed.

Garfield was able to knock the ghoul holding him back into the tree. Matilda struggled free, but immediately began to cower when the ghoul closed in on her. Luckily, Garfield was able to jump in front of her and kick the ghoul aside.

"Let's go," he said as he picked her up.

Chelsea spotted another sturdy branch beneath them and swung down to it. Garfield followed as he let Matilda down.

"We've got a long way to go," Chelsea noted as she looked down, "but we've got to move fast before any more of those things return."

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Desdemona, Riley, and Pamela were walking. Despite Desdemona's orders, neither of them had been convinced to keep a quick pace.

"Well, if we're not going to run then could we at least talk strategy?" Desdemona asked.

"Ugh, that requires thinking," Riley moaned. "I am so not in the mood."

"Well, I just thought that the three of us could vote together," Desdemona said. "I've noticed that the two of you don't seem to care for Chelsea. Well, I might lend my vote your way."

"So, you want Chelsea gone?" Pamela asked. "She might find that interesting if I tell her that. Then it'd be you taking the dive."

"No, no, no, it's not that I want her gone," Desdemona insisted. "It's simply that I've seen trouble coming for the rest of us if her group sticks together."

"Uh-huh, well I'm sure she'd still love an excuse to vote you off," Pamela replied.

"Oh and I suppose you're safe with her," Desdemona scoffed. "I am simply offering a suggesting from what I've seen. You on the other hand seem to be determined to sabotage us at every chance you get."

"Well at least I'm honest about it," Pamela sneered. "Unlike you. Sure, it's not your fault, it's the voices in your heads. But as soon as you get us alone it's, 'hey let's backstab our leader who's done nothing wrong.'"

"I thought you hated her," Desdemona snapped.

"I do!" Pamela retorted. "I hate all of you. That doesn't change the fact that she's a good leader."

"You are a major hypocrite!" Desdemona exclaimed.

"Ladies, ladies, please chill out," Riley said. "Maybe we can put off the strategy until we're out of here."

Both girls huffed and looked away from each other.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Chelsea is a self-entitled, narcissist, while Desdemona is a lying backstabber. They both deserve to be voted out for two isolated reasons.

**Riley-**Well, I never thought that I'd have to be the voice of reason between two girl…but then again, there's a lot of things I never thought I'd have to do.

**Desdemona-**This isn't going so well. I can't team up with Chelsea's team, since I'd still be at the bottom of their totem pole, but if I can't get Pamela on my side I won't have much of a chance either.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Here, try to get this dead tree on its side," Misha said as she pointed at small rotting tree. "I'll try to hold off any ghouls that come our way."

"Well, do," Sasha replied as she began pushing on the side of the tree.

Various ghouls started to surround them, but Misha was able to deal with them. She kicked and chopped at any that neared her.

"Blaargh!" a ghoul roared as it popped up in front of Sasha.

"Blerragaggag, to you too!" Sasha exclaimed as she swiped her stick across its head.

The tree was beginning to tilt downward now.

"That's good," Misha said while knocking aside two more ghouls. "Keep it headed towards that ditch."

Meanwhile, inside the hole, chaos was still in full swing. Ilona was punching in all directions as ghouls swarmed around her. Keith was tossing stones at whatever he could, however he was also soon surrounded by ghouls.

"Outta the way!" Stanley exclaimed as he tackled down several of the oncoming creatures.

"Thanks, buddy," Keith exclaimed.

"We need to get out of here," Stanley declared. "There's way too many of them."

"Agreed," Ilona grunted as she managed to overpower a team of the ghouls.

Elijah, meanwhile, was desperately slapping Jojo across the face.

"Come on, come on, wake up," he pleaded.

Ilona charged through the surrounding ghouls and managed to scoop Jojo over her back.

"Come on, we're getting out of here," she said to Elijah.

Together the four-five including Jojo-of them were able to force and shove the ghouls aside to make it to the edge.

"Look out below!" Sasha exclaimed as the dead tree slid down, crushing several of the ghouls.

"Up!" Ilona ordered as she scurried up the log.

The others soon followed.

"Keep moving," Misha exclaimed. "No time for a break now."

The team continued to run, and the phantoms soon started to disappear.

"I think we're safe for now," Stanley sighed as he slowed down.

Jojo had regained consciousness as Ilona placed him down.

"Good job, both of you," Ilona said to Sasha and Misha. "And to everyone. I think we've got to be nearing the end."

"I certainly hope so," Stanley sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**Ilona is like some super badass Amazon warrior. Forget Matilda, Ilona owns my heart.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Do you even know where we're going?" Pamela scoffed as the three of them continued to wander along the same path.

"Well, do you have a better idea?" Desdemona asked.

"No, but I just wanted to point out that you're doing a pretty bad job at this," Pamela said.

"Well, I'd like to point out that you're a useless bitch," Desdemona snapped.

"Um, ladies," Riley said.

"Oh don't try to shut her up," Pamela scoffed. "Just look at her, she's the kind of girl who can't get enough attention."

"And this is coming from the girl with half a head of hair?" Desdemona scoffed.

"I really think," Riley tried again.

"You just have to be right, don't you?" Pamela continued to scold Desdemona. "If people don't listen to you, well you can always vote them off. You make me sick!"

"And do you seriously believe that just because you're honest about hating everyone that that makes it any better?" Desdemona shouted.

"Ladies!" Riley exclaimed.

"What?" both of them snapped.

"We're under attack," Riley declared as he gestured to the surrounding ghouls.

"Oh," Desdemona muttered.

The ghouls started to close in menacingly.

"Well, looks like our only option is to fight," Desdemona declared.

"Aw man," Riley sighed. "Can't we just surrender?"

"I'm with lazy, here," Pamela said. "You can know your brain out, but don't expect me to help."

However, Pamela changed her mind when a tentacle wrapped around her arm.

"Let go of me, you slimy creep!" Pamela exclaimed as she punched down on the creature. "Anyone else, wanna me with me?"

Several more closed in on her, only to be beaten back instantly. Desdemona was also taking on several approaching ghouls.

"Stand back!" she exclaimed as she reached through her pockets. "I've got uh…potpourri and I'm not afraid to use it."

She tossed pulled out a small sack and tossed some dust at the creatures. They all started coughing and backed away.

"Take this, and that," Riley exclaimed as he performed various karate moves.

At least, he imagined he was doing so. Really he was just flailing his arms about helplessly.

"I see in your future," Desdemona exclaimed as she slapped more away, "grave danger!"

The three of them were beginning to get overpowered though.

"I don't know if I can keep this up," Desdemona sighed.

However, help arrived at the masked boy leapt outwards with a large stick in his hands. He swung it from side to side as he knocked the ghouls aside. From the other end, Chelsea, Matilda, and Garfield jumped down from a tree and crushed several more of the phantoms.

"Tada!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"You're all safe," Desdemona exclaimed happily.

"I'm sure you're disappointed about that," Pamela smirked.

"What does that mean?" Garfield asked.

"Nothing," Desdemona said as she stepped on Pamela's foot. "Now let's focus on getting out of here."

"Agreed," the masked boy said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Did I seriously just help my team in a challenge again? Damn, I've got to stop doing that.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

While the team was tired, they still managed to move at a decent speed.

"Is it just me or is it getting lighter ahead?" Keith asked.

"I think it is," Ilona exclaimed happily. "I think we're on our way out."

The team picked up the pace as they moved towards the source of the light. Suddenly, however, they heard a dreadful hissing sound, followed by an anguished cry. The team looked up to see Calvin, trapped at the top of the tree with several phantoms wrapped around him.

"Oh no!" Elijah exclaimed. "They've got him."

"We should just leave him here," Stanley scoffed. "That's what he gets for abandoning us."

"No," Ilona declared sternly as she looked directly into Stanley's eyes. "I'm not leaving anyone behind."

She reached out her hand to Sasha who understood and tossed her a stick. Ilona then charged outwards and launched herself off of a wrong. She was able to grab onto the hanging tentacles of one of the phantoms and guide herself upwards. The creature tried to shake her off, but she held firm. When she started to lose control, she let go and grabbed onto another one nearby. When she was close enough to Calvin, she speared the stick through the side of his shirt. Holding onto the stick tightly, she kicked downward on the phantom. This caused it to dive, taking her and Calvin with it. Calvin blubbered incomprehensibly as Ilona grabbed onto him.

"Don't worry, I've got you," Ilona said.

With a smoothly landing she returned to the ground and put Calvin down.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**Ilona shows once again why should makes a better leader than Calvin. He would have just left her there.

**Keith-**There she goes with her honor again. Ilona will be too easy.

**Elijah-**(fanning himself) Whoa, is she the girl of my dreams or what?!

* * *

"Both teams are nearing the end," Chris narrated from his helicopter vantage point. "It's going to be a tight cute. Here come the first ones."

Misha burst out of the dreary forest and back onto lush grass. Soon after Chelsea, Garfield, and Matilda came out from a different side. The rest of the Monster Mountains, minus Ilona and Calvin, followed after Misha, while the Raging Rivers started to show up at a steady pace. Riley was the last to arrive for his time, as he was shoved by the masked boy. Then Ilona showed up carrying Calvin.

"Okay, I've seen enough," Chris declared as he descended to meet them. "Both of you did impressive, but only one team can win. And that team is…"

…

…

…

…

…

"The Raging Rivers."

"Yes!" the teamed cheered as they high-fived one another.

"You see, as part of my ingenious twist," Chris explained, "every member had to be present before the team could qualify."

"That was a twist?" Garfield said. "I thought we were just assuming that."

"Didn't you, like, do the same thing last season?" Matilda asked.

"Yeah, yeah, possibly," Chris said. "And let's give a big round of applause to our interns who were behind all the special effects."

A couple interns waved and held up a, clearly animatronic, ghoul.

"Wait a minute, what happened to no man made features?" Stanley asked.

"Don't worry, we'll just edit this scene out and the viewers will be none the wiser," Chris declared. "I'll take a note of it right now…hm, I don't have a pen, but I'm sure I'll remember."

"So, what did we win?" Chelsea asked.

"These extra soft pillows," Chris declared as he handed out a fluffy white pillow to each of the members.

"Wow, this is way nicer than anything Chelsea ever made for us," Riley exclaimed as he rubbed his face against the pillow.

Chelsea pouted to herself.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**(knitting apart the 'World's Best Grandmother' sweater) Hmph, I can make plenty of nice things for my team. Not only am I head cheerleader, but also a major member of the textiles club. I'll be sure to turn this into a nice blanket, then we'll see who's laughing.

**Riley-**(still snuggling with the pillow) This is so comfy I could just…(starts snoring.)

**Stanley-**I think we all know why we didn't win this challenge. Calvin. If this was an elimination challenge I have no doubt that he'd be leaving.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The team had returned to their campsite and Garfield had immediately started stuffing their shelter with pillows. Riley, meanwhile, had immediately went to sleeping on the pillows.

"Hey, Chelsea," Desdemona said as she sat down next to the cheerleader.

"What's up?" Chelsea asked. "Another vision?"

"No, not this time," Desdemona said with a smile. "I just wanted to say that I really do think you're doing a fine job at leading us."

"Oh…thanks," Chelsea said.

"I realized it's no easy task keeping people in line," Desdemona remarked. "And you're doing just great at it. Even Pamela has some respect for you."

"Oh I doubt that," Chelsea scoffed.

"Nope, it's true," Desdemona declared. "She let it slip when I was with her."

Chelsea smiled and giggled slightly.

"Pillow fight!" Matilda exclaimed as she whacked Chelsea on the back of the head with a pillow.

"Oh, you're so on!" Chelsea laughed as she grabbed a pillow and retaliated.

Soon Desdemona had joined in as well and all three girls were playfully swinging at each other. Garfield awkwardly tried to get past, while still taking a couple blows in the crossfire. Riley remained asleep throughout everything.

Meanwhile, the masked boy has once again come to join Pamela.

"Here," he said as he placed a pillow beneath her head.

"Didn't you hear anything?" Pamela scoffed. "I'm trying to ruin you guys. Why are you still trying to be nice?"

"Well, when I saw you, you were doing some pretty impressive damage to those phantoms," the masked boy said. "I'd say you earned your share of the reward."

"And I'm supposed to believe that you don't want anything in return or some sort of recognition?" Pamela scoffed.

"I believe in people getting what they deserve," the masked boy replied. "And like I said earlier, I want to be here for you, so you're not alone."

"What if I want to be alone?" Pamela said.

"Fine," the masked boy said as he stood up. "Enjoy your pillow."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I meant what I said to Chelsea, but this doesn't mean that I'm not still going to find a way to take out her and her alliance. I just respect her as I do it.

**Pamela-**The masked guy acts all good and decent now, but you can bet that he's got some darker intentions. Well I'm not going to let myself get hurt this time.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The boys' alliance had returned to their shelter. The sun was setting, and they were enjoying the view of the sky turning to pink.

"Sorry about not sticking with you," Jojo apologized to Calvin. "It's just that, those ghouls had me just the tiny bit uncertain. I mean, it's not that I thought that they could beat me, but when there was so many of them, I just thought that maybe—"

"Jojo, you did the right thing," Calvin said. "I made a stupid mistake."

"I'm sorry it—wait, you made a mistake?" Jojo asked.

"I got stubborn and made a fool of myself," Calvin said bitterly. "But you guys were smart enough to stay in a group."

"Right…I did something smart," Jojo said uneasily.

"That Ilona sure is something," Elijah said dreamily.

"She proved herself to be quite impressive," Calvin agreed. "An impressive adversary…but don't you dare tell her I said that."

Elijah mimed zipping his lips

"It's not going to be easy taking her down," Calvin said, "but I believe we can do it."

Meanwhile, the others were getting into their shelter.

"Ilona," Stanley said as he put his hand on her shoulder, "I just wanted to say that you really were amazing today."

"Thank you," Ilona said with a faint smile.

"And…even though I don't exactly agree with it, I can accept you making decisions out of honor," Stanley continued.

"Thank you," Ilona repeated. "But believe me when I say, I did not vote for Briony."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I feel like I trust Jojo and Elijah enough to open up a bit. They may be a little dim at times, but they are my friends none the less. And besides, after Jojo's pitiful performance today he might need something to boost his self-esteem.

**Stanley-**(sighs) This is so confusing. Ilona insists that she didn't vote for Briony, and I really want to believe her. But why would Keith vote for her? Something isn't adding up here.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And that wraps up another episode," Chris concluded from the Dock of Shame. "Next time it's another vote off, and it's sure to bring the drama. Can the masked boy reach Pamela and get her to change? Who will bend first, Ilona or Calvin? Can Desdemona take on Chelsea's alliance? All this and more is coming up so keep watching Total…Drama…Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Rusty, Esme, and Aurelius returned to the shelter as the sun set.

"Did you find it yet?" Jason asked.

Esme was about to answer, but Rusty covered her mouth.

"No, but I'll keep searching," Rusty answered.

"When you do, make sure you hand it to me," Jason said. "You know, because since I'm blind, it's only fair."

"Oh absolutely," Rusty said.

"Yoohoo!" Shannon called from outside.

"Ugh, what does she want?" Rusty complained.

"I could answer that," Esme said, "but I'm assuming you'd rather I didn't."

Rusty grumbled as he went out to meet Shannon.

"Say, would you be interested in handing that idol back to a beautiful lady such as myself," Shannon said as she traced her hand along her body. "I can you make it worth it."

Rusty took one look at the mud splattered on her legs, dirt on her body, wrinkles on her face, and brambles in her hair.

"Uh, you're really going to have to do a little better," Rusty said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**The less people who know I have the idol, the better. Jason is easy to keep in the dark, but I have to make sure that Shannon and Esme don't blab to anyone.

**Shannon-**Who does he think he is? I deserve that idol!

**Esme-**(with Aurelius on her lap) Aurelius says that it's no wonder these people lost.


	10. Chicken Chase

_Author's Note: New poll is up, let me know who you like the best. Like I've said in the past, this won't change the outcome of the story, but I like knowing who is popular and who isn't._

"Welcome to Total Drama Stranded," Chris greeted. "Last time, we took the two teams and dropped them in the haunted…Forbidden Pit! The teams had to escape without being captured by the ghastly phantoms. Calvin tried to break away from his team, but this proved to be a bad idea when no one followed him. Desdemona tried to strategize with Pamela and Riley, but only managed to make herself on Pamela's endless enemies list. At the end of the day, it was the Raging Rivers who made it out first. They won a collection of lovely pillows to take home back to camp with them. We've got another elimination to get to today. Can the Rivers pull off a third consecutive win, or will one of them be heading home? Find out now on Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Briony had fallen asleep against a tree. She was covered with filth now and was beginning to look quite wild. She woke up and looked around. She was in a darker, deeper, part of the jungle. She frequently saw wispy strings laced across trees.

"Well, if I was Chris, I'd certainly hide an idol here," Briony remarked as she set out to explore.

She walked with determination as she continued to go deeper into the wilderness. She often heard shuffling sounds all around her. She remained firm with her walk though. Eventually, she came to edge of the ground. Curiously, she looked down to see what was below. Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath her feet. She stumbled painfully down into a vast pit. When she regained herself and shook the dirt out of her eyes, she took another look around.

"Oh dear," she breathed.

She was in an area that was completely covered in webs. And surrounding her was a horde of spiders the size of large dogs.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Stanley had decided to sleep in a tree again last night. He had gotten comfortable in a tree just above the shelter. He cracked his eyes open, and sat up. Immediately Sasha dropped down into his lap.

"Good morning to you, Squire," Sasha greeted.

"Sasha, what are you doing up so early?" Stanley asked.

"I am always ready to enjoy what beauty this world has to offer," Sasha exclaimed.

"Huh?" Stanley asked still slightly groggy.

"This," Sasha laughed as she grabbed Stanley's head and faced it towards the sunrise. "Quite lovely, isn't it?"

"Once again, it's a breathtaking sight," Stanley replied.

"In times of war it's always important to find simple pleasures," Sasha exclaimed.

"And you're just full of those," Stanley laughed.

Meanwhile, Calvin was having another strategic discussion with his group.

"It's another elimination challenge today," Calvin declared. "While I'm not intending to lose again, it's possible that we'll be voting someone off tonight."

"Stanley," Jojo immediately suggested. "I have to sleep with one eye open with that guy around."

"Hm, I think we need to take a more strategic perspective," Calvin declared. "Last challenge proved that, while I hate to admit it, Ilona is a valuable asset to the team. However, if we're going to damage her alliance, we need to take out someone else holding them together."

"Well, there's Misha, Stanley, and Sasha," Elijah listed. "Maybe Keith, I'm not sure what his deal is."

"I'm thinking Sasha might be our target," Calvin declared. "She doesn't seem easily broken, she's keeping their spirits up; it'll be for the best if we lose her."

"But how are you going to convince the others?" Jojo asked.

"They'll listen to reason," Calvin said with a shrug. "I think Keith might be won over to our side, and possibly others. We only need four votes to get at least a tie."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**Sasha is just great. I don't think she even cares about the prize, but she really brightens my mood every day.

**Jojo-**What's it going to take to make people vote for Stanley. I don't care if it's not strategic, I want him gone.

**Calvin-**I'm not scared. It'll just take a few touches to get the vote in my favor…and that's only if we go to elimination, which I'll be trying to avoid.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The team had all woken up by now…except for Riley.

"These pillows are so lovely," Riley sighed with his voice muffled by the surrounding pillows.

"Oh no, you are not going to stay there all day," Chelsea said.

"You can't make me," Riley shot back.

"We'll see about that," Chelsea said. "Garfield, you take the one leg and I'll take the other."

Garfield nodded and picked up Riley's right leg. Chelsea grabbed onto the left and both started to pull. Riley made himself as heavy as possible and resisted being pulled out.

"Matilda…a little help?" Chelsea called.

Matilda joined in, but they still couldn't move Riley.

"You know, this is probably more work than it's worth," Garfield pointed out.

"I guess you're right," Chelsea sighed as she dropped Riley back to the ground.

Over to the side, the masked boy had once again drifted off, but this time it wasn't Pamela he was with.

"Hi there," Desdemona greeted as she sat down next to him.

"Hello," the masked boy replied. "Do you need something?"

"Oh no, I just thought that you might need someone to talk to," Desdemona said.

The masked boy was about to deny it, but Desdemona didn't stop talking.

"You see, a lot of people like to tell me their stories," she explained. "I guess if I'm telling their futures, they want me to know their past. Anyways, I've gotten used to handing out advice, both supernatural and the normal kind."

"That's great, but I don't see what it has to do with me," the masked boy replied.

"Oh, right," Desdemona said. "It's just that I noticed that you seem to prefer being alone. And yet out here, it's easy to get stressed. If there's anything on your mind that you want to get off your chest, I'm here for you."

"I'm fine," the masked boy replied.

"Alright, but if you want to talk, I'm here," Desdemona said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I need to get a jump on the game. I'm going up against a powerful alliance, and I don't have that many options for allies of my own. Pamela hates me, Riley is probably going at the next elimination, so that just leaves that masked guy. I need to make him see me as his friend.

**Masked Boy-**If I wanted to talk to someone, it wouldn't be Desdemona. She seems nice, but a little strange.

* * *

"Helloooo, campers!" Chris announced from his helicopter. "Guess what time it is?"

"I think it's, like, nine," Matilda guessed.

"No…well maybe, but it's challenge time," Chris declared. "For today's challenge you'll be testing your building skills, as well as your speed. Today you'll be hunting…"

He pushed a button and a large crate dropped out of his helicopter and into the woods. When it hit the ground, a bustled flock of hens burst out of it.

"Chickens," Chris declared. "Your job is to build a pen for them, and fill it with the chickens you catch. The team with most by the end of the day will be safe. The others will be voting someone off. Get to it!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Garfield-**Oh, this is good. I've actually had some experience dealing with animals.

**Sasha-**Each fowl caught is another peasant who may eat a full dinner.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Okay, let's divide into groups," Chelsea said. "Who wants to hunt the chickens?"

Garfield put his hand up and said, "I know the right strategies for this kind of thing. My family owns a couple of farms that I visit from time to time."

"Perfect," Chelsea exclaimed. "I'll go with you."

"I'll work on the pen," Desdemona offered. "Like I've said before, running is not my strong suit."

"I'll help out," Matilda offered. "We're going to make, like, such a stylish pen."

"Great, and Masky, you can join us," Chelsea said. "Riley…"

"I'm not moving," Riley insisted.

"You're working on the pen," Chelsea declared. "And you'd better do it, because you're looking like a good choice to vote off if we lose. Anyways, that just leaves—"

"Don't expect me to do any work," Pamela said as she stepped forward. "I'm done helping you win anything."

"And with that you're back to being boot choice number one," Chelsea remarked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Now seems like a good enough time as any to play my idol…maybe I'll take out that rich guy. That'll put some frowns on their faces.

**Chelsea-**I'm used to teams that give all their effort. I don't know how Riley and Pamela survive at home, but here I'm going to make sure they leave soon.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Alright, let's split up," Ilona said to her team.

"If I may suggest," Keith offered, "I've got an idea, I was thinking maybe Misha and Stanley could help me with the pen."

"Alright, I'll take Sasha and head out in that direction," Ilona said as she pointed in the area away from the river. "The rest of you boys can head the opposite direction."

"Oh, that's subtle," Calvin remarked as he rolled his eyes.

The groups went their separate ways. Keith directed Stanley and Misha down the mountain and to a forest area just at the base.

"Okay, here's my plan," Keith said. "I say, we don't just make a pen, but a whole trap. Stanley and I will set up a cage that'll close down on the chickens, once Misha herds them our way."

Both of them nodded. Stanley went to work collecting large sticks, while Misha went searching for any nearby chickens.

Meanwhile, Ilona was walking with Sasha in the direction of the Dock of Shame. They stuck close to the mountain, though, and made their way around it.

"So, Sasha," Ilona began, "I hope—"

"Chicken!" Sasha exclaimed as she spotted a bird preening itself.

Sasha immediately bolted after it. The chicken noticed her approaching, and frantically ran away.

"Come back here, fowl creature!" Sasha exclaimed as she pursued after it.

"I don't think you're going to catch it like that," Ilona cautioned.

"Nonsense, I shan't be bested by a bird," Sasha exclaimed.

After much chasing, she finally wrapped her arms around it and presented it to Ilona.

"Good work," Ilona praised, "but I don't think Keith is finished with the pen yet."

"Not a problem," Sasha remarked as she grabbed a vine and tied it like a leash around the chicken.

The bird inspected it briefly, before calming down as if nothing had happened.

"One down," Sasha exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**Sasha may not seem like the strongest contestant here, but when she sets her mind to something. She does it.

**Sasha-**No chicken shall escape the swift reach of Lady Sasha!

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Garfield and Chelsea walked together through the forest, keeping their eyes open for any chickens.

"So, Garfield, you mentioned that you have a farm," Chelsea tried to make conversation.

"That's right," Garfield replied. "When we were younger, my brother and I used to love playing with all the animals. Horseback riding was always my favorite. I haven't had as much time to visit lately, what with how busy I've been, but I try to still get some riding down every now and then."

"It sounds lovely," Chelsea remarked.

"Oh, it is," Garfield said. "I love animals of all sorts. One of my current projects is to have all farms tried their stock with respect and kindness. It's horrid what so many animals have to go through just to end up as meat."

"Well, good for you," Chelsea said. "Maybe I could write a cheer about it when I get back to school."

The two continued to walk for a little further, until Chelsea spotted a chicken wandering about aimlessly.

"There's one!" she exclaimed as she charged after it.

The chicken took off quickly when it saw her approaching.

"Not so fast," Garfield cautioned as he held Chelsea back. "You don't want to startle them."

Garfield got down on his knees and crawled towards the chicken slowly.

"Don't worry, little girl, we won't hurt you," Garfield said as he inched towards it.

The chicken eyed him suspiciously, but didn't move away. Garfield kept progressing closer until he was close enough to grab the chicken and pull it into his chest.

"There you go," he remarked as he held up the bird.

"Impressive," Chelsea said. "Now can you make sure that it does escape before we finish the pen?"

"I think so," Garfield remarked. "She'll calm down eventually and as long as we be careful, she shouldn't get away."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Garfield is so impressive. He's got an infinite amount of skills, and he's so nice. If anyone other than me deserves to win, it's him.

**Garfield-**(stroking the chicken) This challenge is a bit risky. While this chicken seems to have calmed down, we'll have to keep several more before the others get the pen done.

* * *

Currently, Desdemona and Matilda were stacking logs and sticks into a square fence.

"Oh, just imagine when it's going to be full of chickens," Matilda exclaimed. "They're going to look, like, sooo cute."

"I'm sure they will," Desdemona replied as she put down another log.

There was a bit of an awkward silence as Desdemona tried to think of something else to say.

"So…you're the fashion expert," Desdemona said, "how does my dress stack up?"

"Um, not very high," Matilda remarked. "That yellow is, like, kinda out this season. And those rubies just look, like, so tacky. Today it's all about the sleeves, and you're sleeves are way to big already, plus that tiara—"

"Okay, I get it, it's not hot," Desdemona sighed.

"Well, you're the one who asked," Matilda replied. "If you wanted to make it better you could add a sequent pattern, and like, maybe cut off those sleeves."

"But this is a relic of heritage," Desdemona exclaimed dramatically. "It keeps me in touch with the voices of fate."

"Oh…it's one of those," Matilda remarked. "Meh, I'm not feeling it."

"So, are you going to vote for me?" Desdemona asked suddenly.

"Problaby," Matilda answered. "I mean, after we get rid of Riley, and if Pamela doesn't start being useful again."

"Are you guys talking about me?" Riley asked from the shelter.

"Yes, we're talking about how, like, we're going to vote you off," Matilda replied.

"Oh, so nothing bad," Riley said as he went back to sleep.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Matilda likes to talk a lot, and she's brutally honest, so I can use that to learn what I can. Seems I was right, this guise won't keep me safe forever. I'll have to depend on immunity or find some way to keep the target off my back. Given this team's previous performance, I think it'll have to be the latter.

**Riley-**I don't really see why I should care if they say they're going to vote me off. If you watch the previous shows, you'll say that it's never the one they say they're voting for. And besides, if I get voted off I can just sleep at Playa Des Losers.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

A lone chicken wandered around a tree cluelessly. I inspected its feathers before making another round of circling the tree. It was completely off-guard when Sasha dropped down from a tree and pounced on it.

"Aha! Another prisoner taken in by the unstoppable Lady Sasha!" Sasha exclaimed as she handed the bird to Ilona.

"Well, this makes four," Ilona noted as she tied another vine around the next chicken.

She already had a small group of birds clucking behind her mindlessly.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, Calvin, Elijah, and Jojo had spread out to catch more chickens. Jojo spotted one and dived on top of it.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed as the chicken squawked and tried to break free. "Ha, there's no escape from me."

He held the chicken tight and continued to search throughout the vicinity. Every time he spotted another chicken, he wasted no time charging right at it, and adding it to the irritated group in his arms. Soon he had five chickens held tightly in his grasp.

"This is too easy," he laughed.

He saw another chicken pecking the ground beneath a tree, but he also saw the masked boy targeting it.

He put his chickens down under a tree and ordered, "You stay put, got it?"

The chickens nodded nervously. Jojo then charged forward and tackled the masked boy aside.

"Ow!" he exclaimed as he slammed into a tree.

"That's right, no one's gonna stop me!" Jojo boasted.

"Whatever," the masked boy scoffed as he headed in a different direction.

Not too far, Calvin and Elijah had found their first chicken. The duo was waiting in the bush as they watched the bird.

"So, what's the plan?" Elijah asked.

"We don't need a plan," Calvin scoffed. "It's a stupid bird, how hard can it be?"

Calvin emerged from his hiding spot and leaned over to grab the chicken. As fate would have it, this was a noticeably aggressive chicken. The hen immediately started pecking violently at Calvin's hands.

"Ow, ow, cut it out!" Calvin cried out in pain.

The bird then leapt onto Calvin's shoulder and began pecking at his face.

"Elijah, do something!" Calvin ordered.

"Bad bird," Elijah exclaimed as he tried to slap it off.

However, he ended up slapping Calvin across the face instead.

"Wow, it's fast," Elijah remarked.

Eventually the bird hopped down and left behind the two boys.

"We may need to rethink things," Calvin declared.

Meanwhile, Keith and Stanley were making progress on their trap. Stanley had set up a sturdy barrier with an opening big enough for a group of chickens to enter. Keith was building a grid of sticks that would drop down over the barrier and prevent any of the chickens from jumping out.

"Here's some more sticks," Misha said as she returned. "I still haven't seen any signs of chickens."

"They'll show up eventually," Keith remarked. "In the meantime, just keep bringing more wood."

Misha nodded and headed back out.

"So, Keith, I wanted to talk to you," Stanley said.

"What is it?" Keith asked as he slid down the tree and landed next to Stanley.

"Well, I just want to make sure that I can count on you to vote for Calvin the next time we go to elimination," Stanley said. "Not that I don't trust you, but somebody voted for Briony last time and I can't rule out any option."

"Don't worry," Keith said with a grin. "I would never think of voting out any of you guys. I come from a very stressful environment where it's hard to find good friends. Having decent people like you, Misha, Ilona, and Sasha is so great for me."

"Good to hear," Stanley said. "If the five of us stick together, Calvin won't stand a chance."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**(covered in peck marks) Why do bad things keep happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?

**Stanley-**Keith sounds like he really meant those words, but so did Ilona when I asked her. Could Sasha have voted for Briony? I sincerely doubt it, but now I'm even more confused.

**Keith-**Hm, sorry Stanley, but I just can't let Calvin go. If he goes, I might actually become a target, and we can't have that.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The masked boy rubbed his ribs where he had hit the tree. He grumbled to himself about Jojo, but he quickly got back into focus when he spotted another chicken. He crept towards it slowly and carefully. He remained as silent as possible until he was right behind it.

"You're mine!" he exclaimed as he picked up the bird.

However, he had only taken a couple more steps with his catch when he ran into Jojo again. The jock had several chickens all following behind him tentatively.

"Alright, hand over the bird," Jojo ordered.

"Um, I caught this bird fair and square," the masked boy pointed out.

"And you think I'm just going to let you take a point for your team," Jojo scoffed. "Not if I want to win, now hand it over."

When the masked boy refused again, Jojo resorted to force. With one shove he knocked the masked boy to the ground and grabbed the chicken from him.

"Pfft, you're puny," Jojo scoffed as he herded all of his chickens together.

Meanwhile, at the camp, Desdemona and Matilda were putting the final touches on the pen.

"Oh, it looks just sooo fabulous!" Matilda exclaimed.

"Good work," Desdemona praised. "Come on, let's go tell Garfield and Chelsea that it's done."

While the two of them left, they didn't notice a small group of chickens wander right past the shelter. Riley did, but didn't do anything about it.

"Oh, look at that," he remarked. "Some chickens."

Trailing behind the group was a chicken that was quite fat and having trouble keeping up. Instead it decided to rest on the comfy pillows.

"Hey, big guy," Riley greeted as the chicken rubbed against him affectionately. "What's your name?"

The chicken clucked in reply.

"Hm, I'll call you Tubsy-Wubsy," Riley said. "You like that?"

In response, the chicken collapsed and fell asleep.

"Yeah, that's my answer to most things too," Riley chuckled.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Masked Boy-**I may not be strong enough to take on Jojo, but I think I know someone who is.

**Riley-**(stroking Tubsy-Wubsy) Finally, someone who I can relate to.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Well, we haven't seen another chicken since that last one," Elijah noted to Calvin. "Do you think the others already got the rest?"

"Not likely," Calvin scoffed. "We just need to keep looking."

It wasn't long before they heard some clucking, though. Both boys took off running towards the sound.

"It sounds like a whole lot of them," Elijah remarked. "They must have all grouped at the same place."

However, when they found the group of chickens, they found that they were surrounding Garfield affectionately.

"I don't know how you do it," Chelsea laughed. "They won't leave your side."

"Chickens can be quite friendly, if you let them get to know you," Garfield remarked.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," Calvin whispered to Elijah. "When I give the signal, we jump out and scare the chickens."

"Why?" Elijah asked. "Then no one will get them."

"Exactly, if we can have them, no one can," Calvin declared. "Now, three…two…one!"

Calvin leapt out of the shrubs and exclaimed, "Raaaaar!"

The chickens immediately stated to panic.

"Um…rawr," Elijah added as he followed after Calvin.

The chickens immediately flocked all over Calvin and began pecking at him.

"Oh no, we should do something," Garfield exclaimed.

"In a minute," Chelsea said. "This is pretty amusing. He brought it upon himself, really."

"Elijah, help me," Calvin ordered.

"Um…I'd rather not get on the chickens' bad side," Elijah said as he backed up.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Well, we lost most of the chickens we worked so hard to gather. But I think Calvin learned not to try that again.

**Elijah-**Well, you know the old saying, a good friend would save you from a horde of angry chickens, but a great friend wouldn't want you to get pecked…or something like that.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Riley had gone back to napping, but he was far from alone now. Several chickens had come to rest on the extra soft pillows, as well as over his body.

"So, are these friends of yours, Tubsy-Wubsy?" he asked a chicken sat down on his stomach.

Tubsy-Wubsy gave a brief cluck.

"Well, keep them coming," Riley said. "My team can't vote me off if I brought this many chickens."

Pamela meanwhile was considering whether she would rather destroy pen or spook the chickens and have them frenzy over Riley. She moved towards the pen, when she heard someone approaching.

"Oh, Pamela," the masked boy said. "I just ran into Jojo out there. He's got a lot of chickens."

"Don't care," Pamela replied.

"He knocked me over and took one from me," the masked boy added.

"That probably wasn't too hard, you're scrawny," Pamela smirked.

The masked boy paused as he decided to rethink his strategy.

"The message he made was very clear," the masked boy said. "He's big and strong so he can do whatever he wants."

"Oh, is that what he thinks," Pamela scoffed. "Typical, guys like him put all their work into their muscles so they don't have to think. Well, I'll show that this is one battle his strength won't win."

With that she marched into the forest with determination.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I don't care if it wins another challenge; that Jojo needs to learn a lesson.

**Masked Boy-**She's getting better, really.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"There be another one!" Sasha exclaimed as she charged after a panicked chicken.

"Wait for me," Ilona called as she dragged the many captured chickens behind her.

Sasha dived for the bird several times, but it kept dodging from side to side.

"He's a tricky one," Sasha remarked. "But Lady Sasha does not give up so easily."

"Well, no one's going to complain if you miss one chicken," Ilona pointed.

"Perhaps, but how could I consider myself a knight if I simply gave up?" Sasha remarked. "Now where'd that fowl get to now?"

The bird was currently wandering into a cave.

"Aha, I've got you now!" Sasha exclaimed.

However, by the time she arrived at the cave all she saw were some small bird bones. Looking up, she saw Molotov the Bear growling at her. His propeller hat and striped shirt made him slightly less menacing, but he was still quite a threatening sight.

"On second thought, now might be a good time to retreat," Sasha exclaimed as she darted back towards Ilona.

"What happened to the chicken?" Ilona asked.

"She is in a better place now," Sasha declared.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sasha-**There were many brave souls on the original brigade who faced off with the beast, Molotov. But I value my life too much to risk it.

* * *

Jojo had nearly two dozen chickens following behind him now.

"Alright, once again I'm carrying my team," he announced out loud.

Suddenly he was stuck in the back of the head by a pebble.

"What the?" he exclaimed as he turned around.

"So, you think you can just push people around because you're bigger than them?" Pamela asked as she stood with her arms crossed.

"Um, yeah, that's how the world works," Jojo scoffed.

"You make me want to vomit," Pamela hissed as she tossed another rock.

This time she aimed at the chickens trailing behind Jojo. This startled them and cause them panic.

"Hey, stop that," Jojo ordered.

"Make me," Pamela taunted as she tossed another rock.

The chickens were all spreading out as they tried to get away now.

"Maybe I will," Jojo said as he rolled up his sleeves.

"Or, maybe it would be a better idea to stop your chickens from escaping," Pamela pointed.

Jojo looked torn, but eventually decided to try and grab some of the chickens that were still near him. However, they were much more frantic now, so they swarmed and pecked and were impossible to contain.

"Hey, look, chickens!" Chelsea exclaimed as she arrived with Garfield. "This way little guys, follow the nice boy."

"No, don't listen to her!" Jojo snapped.

However, this only scared the chickens more and caused them to scurry after Garfield. On the other side, the masked boy was herding stray chickens back to the camp. It was impossible to see through his mask, but he was smiling at Pamela.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I don't even care that that was teamwork, it was worth it to shoot Jojo down like that.

**Garfield-**That Jojo guy has no respect for the chickens. Although, I don't appreciate Pamela throwing rocks at them either, but at least it got them away from him.

* * *

Misha was waiting impatiently for any chickens to show up.

"Come on, where are you little pests?" she grumbled to herself.

Suddenly, though a whole swarm ran past her.

"Uh, yeah, that's it, go that way," she said as waved towards the trap.

Soon the chickens stampeded right into the barrier Stanley had built.

"Now!" Stanley shouted.

Keith swung down on the gridded roof and dropped it over the top.

"We got them!" he exclaimed.

Calvin and Elijah arrived not too much later. Calvin was completely covered in bruises.

"Look what we caught," Keith exclaimed.

"Yes, all thanks to me," Calvin declared. "If I hadn't scared those chickens, they never would have run towards you."

"Whatever you say," Stanley said with a condescending smirk.

"I've got some too," Jojo exclaimed as he arrived with a fraction of his original chickens.

Stanley moved aside a log and let Jojo placed the chickens inside the cage.

"We as well had a bountiful victory," Sasha exclaimed as she guided the leashed chickens into the cage.

"Well, all in all, I think we did pretty good," Keith remarked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**He had better win. I did not endure these bruises for nothing.

**Jojo-**If we lose then Pamela is going to regret even meeting me. No more holding back.

**Misha-**Well, I didn't really have to do anything this time, the chickens just ran my way. But I'm sure if I tell them that I helped, they'll believe me.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Chelsea, Garfield, Desdemona, Matilda, and the Masked Boy all arrived with chickens all around them. Pamela followed behind at a distance.

"Okay, guys, you see that totally awesome pen, that's, like, your new home," Matilda instructed.

Slowly the chickens were herded inside the pen.

"Okay, not bad," Garfield remarked.

"Oh guys," Riley exclaimed.

Everyone turned to see him exit the shelter with a massive flock of chickens behind him.

"Whoa, where did those come from?" Chelsea asked.

"You think that's cool, check out this," Riley said as he picked up a bundle of pillows. "Okay, fellows, I'm moving these over to this pen."

As soon as he put the pillows into the pen the chickens swarmed after them. Tubsy-Wubsy was the last to follow.

"Pretty neat, huh," Riley remarked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Garfield-**Of course, the chickens would love those soft pillows, I can't believe I didn't think of that.

**Chelsea-**Well, I'm glad that we got all those chickens, but Riley didn't really do anything. Anyone could lie around and let the chickens accumulate.

**Desdemona-**We'd better not be going to elimination. After Desdemona suddenly felt like helping, and Riley coming up with…that, I'm right down at the bottom.

* * *

"Okay, campers," Chris announced from the helicopter, "you both worked hard this challenge, but just from up here I can see that there's a clear winner. Immune tonight are..."

…

…

…

…

…

"The Raging Rivers."

"Huzzah!" Chelsea cheered while high-fiving everyone.

Even Pamela was cheering.

"In your face, Jojo," she laughed as she did a victory dance.

Meanwhile, the Monster Mountains sighed in defeat.

"I swear, we would have won if Pamela hadn't cheated," Jojo pouted.

"Don't blame yourself, Jojo," Keith consoled. "Or Pamela. This is what we got and there's nothing we can do about it now."

Chris continued to announced, "Also along with immunity, you get to do what you please with the chickens."

"What would we want to do with the chickens?" Desdemona asked.

"I dunno, cook them," Chris suggested.

"No way," Riley exclaimed. "We're not eating Tubsy-Wubsy or any of his friends."

"Well, if you want to send them back to me, they'll make some fine chicken burgers," Chris declared.

"I won't have these lovely creatures sent off to be slaughter," Garfield exclaimed. "But I know a ranch that'll give them good lives."

"Would you like that Tubsy-Wubsy? Do you want to live on the ranch?" Riley said as he tickled the chicken's chin-area.

"Do you have any idea how much that'll cost to ship?" Chris scoffed.

"But you said that we could do whatever we wanted with the chickens," Garfield pointed. "And I think we all agree that's what we want."

Several heads nodded.

"Fine," Chris grumbled. "I really need to talk to my lawyers before saying things like that. Anyways, Monster Mountains, as for you, I'll be seeing you at the Dock of Shame tonight. You have until then to discuss who you'll be voting off."

* * *

(Monster Mountains Camp)

"Keith, oh Keith," Calvin called as he grabbed the boy and pulled him aside.

"Hello, boys," Keith greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm offering you a spot on my alliance," Calvin said. "We're going to vote together and get rid of Sasha. I mean, she's just too weird."

"Hm, alright," Keith said as he nodded.

"So, can we count on your vote?" Calvin asked.

"I make no promises, but I'll consider it," Keith said.

Meanwhile, Ilona was discussing with her team.

"So, we're in agreement?" she said. "Calvin goes tonight."

Everyone nodded.

"Misha?" Ilona added.

"I pinky promise," Misha said.

"And what about Keith?" Ilona asked.

"He's with us, don't worry," Stanley said, "I already talked with him."

"Good, that should give us the majority," Ilona declared.

"Unless a backstabber strikes again," Sasha exclaimed.

"Hm, I think I have a solution," Stanley said.

"What did you have in mind?" Ilona asked.

"Let's just say, I'll make Jojo an offer he can't refuse," Stanley chuckled.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**So, they want Sasha gone? Well, I think I can do a little better than just vote for her.

**Misha-**Looks like I have to vote for Calvin tonight whether I want to or not. I can't risk standing out too much.

**Stanley-**It's time go to the next level with Jojo.

* * *

"Jojo!" Stanley exclaimed as he rushed over to the other boy. "I'm so glad I found you."

Stanley pulled Jojo in to a backwards hug.

"Um, what are you doing?" Jojo said incredibly uneasily.

"Well, I just finished talking with the girls and they're talking about voting me out," Stanley explained. "And I thought that I might never see you again."

"Oh…well, can you let go of me?" Jojo asked as he squirmed.

"Aw, don't you it?" Stanley asked as he traced his hands along Jojo's body.

"Let go of me," Jojo repeated as he tried to break free.

He only ended up stumbling forward and landing on his back. Stanley landed right on top of him. Stanley perched over him and grinned a creepy smile.

"Well, if I'm right about the votes, I guess this is goodbye," he said before giving him a playful kiss on the forehead.

When Stanley stood up, Jojo's face was bright scarlet.

Meanwhile, Keith had found Sasha alone.

"Oh, hi Sasha," he greeted. "Ilona send me to look for you."

"She did?" Sasha asked. "Does she have new commands?"

"Why yes, in fact she does," Keith said. "She says that she's decided to switch the vote to Jojo."

"Understood," Sasha said.

"But, make sure you don't tell anyone," Keith declared. "Ilona was very specific that it was a secret mission."

"Not a soul shall hear me speak," Sasha declared.

"Good, good," Keith said with a smile.

* * *

(Elimination Ceremony)

The team arrived at the Dock of Shame. Jojo was making sure that he was as far away as possible from Stanley.

"Monster Mountains," Chris greeted, "You had a good start, but suddenly you've hit a slump. Well, let's get on with it, shall we. First up…Ilona!"

Ilona caught her pinecone proudly.

"Next, Elijah," Chris continued.

"And Keith."

"Misha."

"Now, the next four of you all received votes," Chris said as he gestured at Stanley, Sasha, Calvin, and Jojo.

"Jojo, you didn't vote for Stanley, did you?" Calvin said suspiciously.

"Uh…um, a heh, oops," Jojo chuckled uneasily.

"Well, only one of you four is leaving tonight," Chris said. "And these two pinecones go to…"

"Jojo and Stanley."

Sasha looked slightly confused, Jojo looked incredibly disappointed.

"Oops, I must have miscounted," Stanley laughed.

"Well, now it just comes down to Sasha and Calvin," Chris said. "The final marshmallow goes to…"

Once again, Calvin found himself in a staring contest with his rival. This time, though, it was Sasha.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"It's a tie!"

"What happens now?" Calvin asked.

"Don't worry, we have a tiebreaker planned for this sort of thing," Chris declared as he pushed a button.

Suddenly, something emerged from out of the water. It was a large, circular platform marked like a target. It alternated between black and white circles, around a red circle in the center.

"Sasha, Calvin, you each get one rock," Chris said as he placed a smooth stone in each of their hands. "You have to get them onto that target. The closest one to the center stays."

"Ladies first," Calvin said as he gestured for Sasha to step forward.

Sasha's eyes twinkled as she eyed the target. She backed up, then stepped forward. Then with a smooth motion she tossed her rock and skipped it along the water. It hit the target and slid across until it stopped, just inside the edge of the center.

"Ooh, that's going to be tough to beat," Chris remarked. "Calvin, you're up."

Calvin aimed his rock skillfully. Then he gave it a strong toss. It bounced once along the water before landing on the target. It slid across the platform slowly, but surely…

It entered the center circle…

It passed the center mark…

It tapped into Sasha's rock and…

Stopped.

"Calvin is the winner!" Chris declared. "Sasha, it's time for you to go."

Sasha showed no signs of sorrow or defeat though. She simply held her head proudly as she nodded farewell to her team.

"I'd like a word with my squire," she declared.

Stanley stepped forward and kneeled before her. Sasha pulled out a stick and placed it above his head.

"Sir Stanley, since the first day you proved to have all the qualities of a knight," Sasha declared regally. "It is with great honor that I call you my squire, and it is with even greater honor that I see you rise as a knight…Sir Stanley the Noble. Take my sword."

Stanley rose and accepted the stick.

"Stay strong," Sasha concluded. "Protect those close to you, and vanquish those who challenge you. I have complete faith in you."

She then turned to march down the Dock of Shame nobly. A majestic fanfare played as arrived at the edge of the dock.

"Farewell, Sir Stanley," she said as she raised he hand into a salute. "And farewell to all of my valiant allies."

With those final words she was launched into the air.

"Wasn't that dramatic?" Chris remarked. "And where is that music coming from?"

He turned to see Molotov holding a trumpet in the bushes.

"Well, you're down one more member, Monster Mountains," Chris declared. "Hopefully I want see you here again so soon."

* * *

(Monster Mountains Camp)

"Again, something went wrong," Stanley sighed as his group returned to their shelter. "I'm still trying to figure out what happened. I made sure that Jojo voted for me, and yet it seems like someone voted for him."

"I do not know what to say," Ilona said. "I was just as certain as you that we'd be seeing the end of Calvin."

"Misha?" Stanley asked.

"I can't break a pinky promise," Misha exclaimed innocently.

"Keith?" Stanley asked.

"I would never think of a backstabbing someone as wonderful as Sasha," Keith said. "You can trust me."

"I have seen you talking with the others from time to time," Ilona noted.

"Well, they're eager to get me into their alliance," Keith said. "But rest assured, I'm loyal to you. But I just stick with them to see what new information I can learn."

"Well, it's late, we can talk more tomorrow," Stanley said through a yawn.

Meanwhile, in the boys' shelter, Jojo was desperately trying to wipe off his forehead.

"What's your problem?" Elijah asked.

"He kissed me!" Jojo exclaimed hysterically. "He f**king kissed me!"

"Keep it together," Calvin said. "You can't let him get to you. That's exactly what he wants. If you just act like it doesn't bother you, he won't get the satisfaction."

"Right, I can do that," Jojo said as he sat down.

Immediately afterwards though he began slamming his forehead against the wall.

"Get it off, get it off!" he cried. "I feel so dirty."

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Chris arrived with a spacious crate.

"Okay, get them in here," he said irritated. "I've got a long trip to make."

"When you get there, can you tell them that I said 'hi?'" Garfield requested.

"That wasn't part of the deal," Chris snapped.

As Chelsea and Matilda herded the chickens onto the crate, Riley hugged Tubsy-Wubsy goodbye.

"Well, you have a good time," he said. "Don't let anyone boss you around, if you feel like sleeping you go ahead and take a nap."

"Stunning advice from one idiot to another," Pamela scoffed.

As Chris left, Chelsea exclaimed, "Well team, that's our third victory in a row and the second time we didn't have to vote someone off. We're on a roll!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Well, I'm safe for another night. But I'm seriously going to have to kick up my game if I want to stand a chance.

**Pamela-**I suppose I could act like I care about winning, that way they'll just be more surprised when I screw them all over.

**Chelsea-**We are raging, can't stop our rampaging, winning is a must, we'll leave you in the dust!

* * *

**Votes:**

**Stanley-**Calvin, there is no way you're getting out of this one.

**Ilona-**I don't know what happened last time, but this time I'm certain that Calvin will go.

**Calvin-**Goodbye, Sasha, freak.

**Jojo-**Stanley, Stanley, Stanley, Stanley!

**Sasha-**So, it is Jojo who shall take the fall today? So be it.

**Elijah-**So long, Sasha, you're pretty, but too weird for me.

**Misha-**If I don't vote for Calvin, people are going to get suspicious of me. Sorry.

**Keith-**I really did mean it when I said that value Sasha's good nature. It's a shame to see her go, but I am playing purely strategically, I can't let emotion throw me off.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And it's goodbye to the memorable Lady Sasha," Chris wrapped up. "Her antics will be missed, but I'm certain that she won't be lying down on Not Quite Loser Island. Like she said, a good knight doesn't give up until the fight is over. Next time, we really take things up to another level. New alliances will be made as one member crosses over…to the dark side! Tune in next time for another Total…Drama…Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"Come on, I just want to touch it," Shannon whined.

"For the last time, I am not handing over the idol," Rusty declared as he sat down on a rock.

"Oh, be nice," Shannon pleaded. "Can you just let me see it?"

"No!" Rusty snapped.

"What are they arguing about?" Jason asked from the shelter. "I may be blind, but that doesn't mean I have super canine hearing."

"They are arguing about something trivial," Esme declared.

"Bah, I should have known that they'd be thinking about petty things," Jason scoffed.

"Wheeeee!" someone exclaimed as they landed in the sand. "Lady Sasha has arrived."

"Hm, it looks like it's that time again," Jason remarked.

"What awaits me in this domain?" Sasha said as she read the sign to herself. "Aha, so the journey is not over yet."

She broke off a branch from a nearby tree and brandished it proudly.

"Wherever adventure awaits me, I shall be there to look it in the eyes," Sasha declared. "I shan't let my spirit break, until I had holding the treasured idol in my hands."

"Ha, you're not going to get far with that stick," Rusty scoffed.

Sasha twirled around and jabbed the stick in front of his nose.

"Perhaps to a craven like you, but I am a warrior!" Sasha exclaimed. "And now if you'll excuse me, I have a journey to continue!"

With that she charged into jungle with determination.

_Author's Note: Cue Homestuck style curtains and text reading, "End of Act One." Yeah, I'd like to think that this wraps up the first act. You've gotten to know all the major characters, and have seen how the game is played. Now things are really going to get serious as we pick up the pace. _

_Anyway, my intention with Sasha was to have a fun filler character. She accomplished that, but I think she ended up more fun than filler. It's a shame to see her go, but she went out as over the top as ever. Plus she's sure to have plenty of adventures on Not Quite Loser Island._


	11. Mission Possible

_Author's Note: Thanks to all of you who voted on my poll. Stanley is the clear leader, but Ilona is not far behind him. It's still up so if you haven't voted yet, feel free to._

"Welcome to another exciting episode of Total Drama Stranded," Chris greeted. "Last time we sent the campers on a hunt for chickens. Some, like Garfield, proved to be a natural at catching the birds, while others, like Calvin, didn't have great luck. In the end, the unlikely winner was Riley who managed to attract a large group chickens with the comfy pillows. This brought immunity for the Raging Rivers and an elimination for the Monster Mountains. Despite manipulation from both sides, courtesy of Keith and Stanley, the two still ended up in a deadlock. A tiebreaker was brought up and Calvin managed to win. So it was goodbye for Sasha, leaving the Monster Mountains more divided than ever. We've got another big episode right now so keep watching Total Drama Stranded."

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Rusty had chosen to not sleep in the shelter. Instead he curled up against a rock with his idol held tightly vest. Shannon was also out of the shelter, but she was wide awake. She glared at the sleeping Rusty before starting to tiptoe towards him.

"That idol is mine," she whispered icily.

However, before she could reach him, she was suddenly slung backwards and hung in the air upside down.

"What that?" she exclaimed as she looked at a rope wrapped around her ankle and tied to a tree.

"Aha, I thought you might try something," Rusty remarked as he opened his eyes. "But I'm not letting you get near my idol."

"Give it to me!" Shannon snapped. "Or I'll tell the others that you have it."

"Why? So they can steal it instead of you?" Rusty replied. "I don't know about you, but I think it'll be pretty tough to claw this out of the hands of some of the people on the island. The girl with the pigtail has eerie powers, the girl in pink isn't afraid to use her 'sword,' and the girl with the glasses is just nuts. And then there's me."

"Grrr!" Shannon exclaimed as she reached desperately for his jacket.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Sasha was eagerly slicing away at the vines in her place. She swung her stick back and forth with determination as she carved her path through the wilderness. After cutting aside shrubs, long grass, and vines she came upon something interesting. It was completely covered in an overgrowth of vegetation, but she could see some ancient monument underneath all the plants. It was an old temple, with stone that seemed to be rotting. She located the stairs and began to climb upwards.

"This is surely where the sacred treasure is being held," Sasha exclaimed to herself. "Well, soon it shall be in my hands."

"I would not go in there if I were you," Esme said suddenly appearing behind Sasha. "That place has the sense of dread, danger, and pain. Is it worth your petty prize?"

"Ha, I warrior like myself can face dread, danger, and pain without fear," Sasha declared. "And it is no 'petty prize,' it is a second chance at glory. So I cry onward!"

She then charged into the mouth of the temple.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Well, looks like we're nearly out of food from the reward," Jojo remarked as he looked through the crate.

"I guess it's back to mushrooms and berries," Calvin sighed.

"That is, until I win us another reward," Jojo exclaimed.

The three boys sat on the grass just outside of their shelter.

"Well, I think we can be satisfied that another elimination went our way," Calvin said to his group. "If we can keep Keith on our side, then we'll have the majority."

"And then we can vote off Stanley, right?" Jojo asked overeagerly.

"I suppose he'd make another good target," Calvin remarked.

"Hey, I have a question," Elijah said. "Are we going to be keeping Keith over people like Misha and Ilona? I mean, by that point it's not like we'd need him anymore."

"You bring up a good point," Calvin said. "Ilona is clearly a strong member of the team, and even Misha has proven to quite competent and…you just wanted to keep the girls around, didn't you?"

"Well…a little half and half," Elijah replied.

Once again, though, Keith was taking notes on everything the boys said.

Meanwhile, the other side of the team was also having a discussion.

"Well, we're going to have to admit it," Stanley sighed. "Someone has been lying to us. Calvin should have gone home with five votes against him."

"I don't know what happened," Ilona sighed. "Are you certain that we can trust Keith?"

"I'm not certain about anything anymore," Stanley replied. "But I will talk to Keith when I see him. What about you Misha?"

"I swear, I voted for Calvin," Misha said. "I was completely surprised with what happened."

"Morning, everyone," Keith greeted as he arrived. "We're all out of the good food. So, I figured I'd go collect some more mushrooms."

"I'll go with you," Stanley offered.

The two walked through the woods together and soon were out of sight of Ilona and Misha. Stanley prepared to ask Keith about his vote, but Keith spoke first.

"So, I heard you kissed Jojo last night," Keith remarked. "Well, actually I think the whole island heard it after Jojo's screaming."

Stanley smirked and chuckled, "I knew he wouldn't be able to resist voting for me after that…it wasn't enough to save Sasha though."

"Ah, yes," Keith sighed. "Really, such a shame to see her go."

"Do you have any idea what happened?" Stanley asked.

"I've had thoughts, but no real evidence," Keith replied.

"What kind of thoughts?" Stanley asked.

"Well, I think it's possible that Sasha might not have voted how you expected," Keith replied. "I've noticed her, and she doesn't really seem to pay attention to what she's told. She's so wrapped up in her world."

"But Sasha wouldn't vote for herself," Stanley pointed out.

"No, but perhaps she just didn't vote for Calvin," Keith remarked.

"You're right, that might explain why Jojo got a vote," Stanley realized. "But it still doesn't explain why Sasha didn't just get two votes from Calvin and Elijah."

"This is a tricky game," Keith replied. "People will do crazy things to win. I'm not accusing anyone, I'm just saying be careful of who you can trust."

"I'm not sure if I can trust anyone," Stanley sighed.

"Then you've got the right idea," Keith said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**It's too late for anyone to do anything about me. I can jump between both sides and get rid of whoever I want. Stanley seems like a good ally: smart, but not smarter than me. I suspect that Elijah will be the most malleable on Calvin's alliance, so perhaps I can use that too.

**Stanley-**While Calvin may be a total jerk, at least with him you know where he stands. It's unnerving to know that one of my friends is ready to backstab me.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Garfield woke to find that he was not the first one up. As he exited the shelter he saw Desdemona dripping with water.

"What happened to you?" he asked.

"Fishing is a lot harder than it looks," Desdemona declared as she tried to squeeze the water out of her sleeves.

"You can leave it to me," Garfield said. "Or that masked guy."

"I know, but I just wanted to support my team," Desdemona said dramatically. "I just don't feel like I do enough around here."

"Oh…well, you always tell us about your dream visions," Garfield said. "Did you have any more of those?"

"In fact I did," Desdemona replied. "I saw big things happening today, but as usual there was the hint of darkness."

"That's too bad," Garfield said as he sat down next to her.

"But I think that you'll be able to survive," Desdemona said. "You just need to break free of the shackles holding you down…I haven't figured out what that means, but I'll let you think about it."

"Hm, shackles?" Garfield mused. "I can't think of anything that's holding me down."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck anyways," Desdemona said.

Meanwhile, as the others were waking up, Pamela headed straight to the spot where she always met the masked boy. It didn't take long for him to arrive.

"Hello," the masked boy greeted.

Pamela grunted something in reply.

"You know, if you didn't want to see me, you could always sit by a different rock," the boy pointed out.

"You are somewhat more bearable than everyone else here," Pamela declared.

"Was that a compliment?" the boy asked.

"No," Pamela replied.

"Well, I think it was close," the masked boy said. "So, are you going to help us win again?"

"Not if I can help it," Pamela scoffed.

"You know, I couldn't help but notice that you seemed pretty pleased when we won," the masked boy said. "Granted, it was at Jojo's expense, but there's nothing wrong with celebrating a victory."

"No one deserves it," Pamela scoffed.

"You keep saying that," the masked boy said. "What do you mean? Why does no one deserve to be happy?"

"I've already explained this so many times to you," Pamela snapped. "Because humans all horrid creatures…I've seen it…I've seen enough to know."

Pamela found herself sitting down in a hunched position.

"I've been hurt," she said barely audibly. "So many times…I can only retort by hurting everyone back."

The masked boy just remained silent as he sat down next to her.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**What's it going to take to break apart these three? Can't they realize that eventually, they're all going their own biggest obstacles?

**Masked Boy-**Pamela says she's been hurt. I don't know what kind of trauma she's been through, but it must have been bad.

**Pamela-**Don't think I'm going to turn all nice just because I let my guard down like that. I'm still set on ruining everyone's game.

* * *

"Alright, campers," Chris announced. "For this challenge, I'll just require three of each team to meet me at the waterfall. That is all."

"Okay, guys, who wants to compete in this challenge?" Chelsea asked everyone.

"I'll go," Pamela volunteered.

"You will?" Chelsea asked in surprise.

"Anything to get me away from you horrible people," she grumbled.

"I'll go with her," the masked boy offered.

"Okay, who else?" Chelsea asked.

"Well, I'd rather go with, like, my two best friends," Matilda said.

"You can go without us," Chelsea said. "I think you deserve a chance to show us what you're made of."

"Yeah, you'll do fine, "Garfield added.

"It's like I keep saying," Desdemona said. "You have to break out of your shackles."

"Alright, I'll do it!" Matilda exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Great, I have to stay with the chatterbox? This is going to be, 'like, so totally annoying.'

**Masked Boy-**I'm going to make sure that Pamela doesn't throw this challenge. I think she'll find that she'd much rather enjoy winning it.

**Matilda-**I usually, like, leave all the tough stuff to Chelsea and Garfield. But they're right, this is, like, my time to shine.

* * *

"Alright, who's it going to be?" Calvin asked his group as they met up.

"I'll volunteer," Ilona offered.

"Good idea," Stanley said. "I think everyone can agree that you've won us your fair share of challenges."

"That's debatable," Calvin grumbled.

"I'll go too," Misha said. "I think I've also proven myself."

"Hey, I'll come too," Elijah offered. "There's no way I'm passing up a chance to spend time with too lovely ladies."

Calvin rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.

"Well, that's three," Keith said. "Best of luck, guys."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**I don't like to brag, but I think that I have the best shot at winning whatever Chris can throw at us.

**Misha-**As soon as I heard that Ilona was going I just had to volunteer. I can't let her hog all the glory as a challenge winner. I can win challenges too, you know.

**Elijah-**Alright, time to make my moves on Ilona. Misha's cute too, but not for me.

* * *

(The Waterfall)

"So, Ilona you're looking absolutely stunning today," Elijah complimented. "You too, Misha, but I think we've established why I'd feel awkward with you."

"Just cut it out, Elijah," Ilona said. "We've got a challenge to focus on here."

"You got it, ma'am," Elijah said. "Whatever you say."

The three had crawled down the mountain and were making their way around to the large waterfall. From the other end, Matilda, Pamela, and the masked boy were arriving.

"You know, you guys, like, seriously need some fashion tips," Matilda muttered. "Like, that hair is just…eugh. And masks are nice for parties and all, but really, you can't have a good style if people can't like, see your face."

"If you don't shut up right now I'm going to rip that ponytail right off," Pamela threatened.

"You wouldn't dare!" Matilda gasped as she grabbed her hair defensively.

"Campers, glad you could make it," Chris greeted from the top of the waterfall.

"Let's get this over with," Pamela grumbled.

"Alright, you may return to your camps," Chris said.

"That's it?" Ilona asked. "We came out here for nothing?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me rephrase that," Chris said. "You may return to your _new_ camps. You six are switching teams!"

"What!?" everyone cried out in shock.

"That's right," Chris exclaimed. "Pamela, Matilda, and masked guy, you are all Monster Mountains now. Ilona, Elijah, and Misha, you are now Raging Rivers. You may head to your new camps and get to know your new teams. The challenge won't be until this evening."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Matilda-**(sobbing) Oh, why?! Why did I have to, like, choose now to break out on my own. Now I'm going to be competing against Chelsea and Garfield…that's horrible!

**Ilona-**I won't complain if it gets me away from Calvin and his team, but I feel bad for abandoning Stanley with them.

**Pamela-**Oh f*ck! I left my idol back at my old camp. I never should have let go of it. What was I thinking?!

**Elijah-**I hit the jackpot. I've got a team full of hot ladies, and best of all, Calvin's not there to tell me who's 'off limits.' Eee, I'm like a kid in a candy store!

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The three former Raging Rivers were climbing up the mountain to their new camp.

"Oh stop bawling," Pamela snapped at Matilda. "Your so-called 'friends' would only vote you out eventually. At least now you'll get voted out by people who hate you."

"That's not helping!" Matilda sobbed.

Once the three had reached the camp, they saw the remaining members of the team.

"What are you guys doing here?" Calvin asked. "Is this part of the challenge?"

"No, it's a team switch," the masked boy explained. "We're you're new teammates."

"I…see," Calvin said.

He then grabbed Jojo and pulled him aside.

"Okay, we've lost Elijah, but we might be able to find a replacement for him with these new guys," Calvin explained. "First though, let's just take some time to investigate them. I'm not desperate enough to let any losers into my alliance."

Calvin and Jojo then returned to the new members.

"Well, welcome to your new team," Calvin greeted.

"What's your problem?" Jojo asked Matilda who still had watery eyes.

"I just…liked my old team," Matilda exclaimed.

"Forget about them," Jojo laughed. "We're a way more amazing team. In fact, how'd you like to be on our alliance?"

"You mean it?!" Matilda exclaimed happily. "I'd, like, love to have an alliance with you guys. You seem, like, so hot."

"Uh…thanks," Calvin said before pulling Jojo aside again. "What was that? We can't let just anybody in."

"Sorry, what was I supposed to say?" Jojo said. "Besides, she seems cool enough."

"Yes, she doesn't seem so bad," Calvin agreed. "Now let's go back to the other two."

The two returned to inspect the masked boy.

"Well, I think you're going to have to lose the mask," Calvin said. "This isn't a costume party."

"The mask stays on," the masked boy declared.

"Okay, I can see that you're a little weird," Calvin noted. "When you're ready to be normal, let me know. And finally, you…uh, no."

He took one look at Pamela and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but you look like a complete freak," Calvin said.

"Yeah, and she's a major jerk," Jojo added. "If it wasn't for her, we totally would have won the last challenge."

"And wouldn't that have been a shame," Pamela scoffed. "And I wouldn't even want to join your stupid alliance."

"Don't worry about her," Matilda said. "We all hate her too."

Pamela marched off to the woods, with the masked boy following behind. They were soon joined by Stanley.

"Hey, guys, sorry about Calvin," Stanley greeted. "He's not the nicest guy around. But I'd happily align with you."

"As if I'd find you any more appealing," Pamela spat. "You just want to use me to destroy your enemies then toss me aside. Sorry, not going to happen."

"What did I do?" Stanley asked as she shoved him aside.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**Hm, now we've got both Pamela and Stanley on one team. They both make good choices to vote off next, but we'll have to pick one.

**Pamela-**It's clear that my time is limited. I might as well just cause as much destruction as possible in that time.

**Stanley-**Suddenly, I feel pretty isolated. I've still got Keith, and maybe I can align with the new guys, but I'm going to miss Ilona and Misha.

**Calvin-**I'd say that this works pretty well to our advantage. Pamela and that masked guy probably won't make any strong allies, which means we can just pick them all off one after another.

**Matilda-**Well, I guess this team, like, isn't soooo bad. I've already been offered an alliance, and it's with Jojo and Calvin. Both of them seem like very cool guys.

**Keith-**Well, I wasn't expecting this, but it doesn't change anything. I can still control everything on the team.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Ilona led Misha and Elijah along the river and up to the campsite.

"Hello," Chelsea greeted uncertainly. "What's going on?"

"There's been a team switch," Ilona explained. "We're joining you guys."

"Oh, well, glad to have you," Chelsea replied.

"Hi, Ilona," Garfield said with a grin as he approached. "So, we're on the same team now."

"I think we'll work together very well," Ilona said with a nod.

"Um, we're here too," Elijah added.

"Aw, I remember you," Chelsea said to Misha. "You've managed to survive so far, that's very impressive."

"Uh, thank you," Misha replied. "It really hasn't been too hard though.

"Don't be modest," Chelsea said. "I'm sure it hasn't always been easy."

Misha just shrugged.

"Hello? Me? Am I invisible?" Elijah exclaimed as he waved his hand back and forth.

"Yeah, hi," Chelsea greeted briefly.

"You're the cheerleader right? That's pretty sexy to me," Elijah said.

"Nice to know," Chelsea replied dryly.

"Ah, what have we here?!" Desdemona exclaimed as she arrived. "New members? How splendid, I feel that this shall be the start of rejuvenation for us."

"Is she okay?" Misha asked.

"Don't worry, she's harmless," Garfield said.

"Hm, you look quite interesting," Desdemona said as she pulled Elijah aside.

"Thanks, you're pretty hot yourself," Elijah said. "Got kind of an exotic thing going on."

"Why thank you," Desdemona replied. "Yes, I see it now, you've got the makings on a champion."

"Is that your way of flirting, or are you trying to tell me something?" Elijah asked.

"Just keep that in mind," Desdemona said.

Riley finally got up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Riley, meet our new teammates," Chelsea said.

"Nice to meet you," Riley said as he shook Garfield's hand. "What's your name?"

"That's Garfield," Chelsea snapped. "He's been on our team since the start."

"Really?" Riley said. "Well, if you say so."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**This team just got 200% better. I mean, it's sad to lose Matilda, but I'd gladly trade Pamela for Ilona.

**Riley-**How am I supposed to remember everyone? It's not like they spend any time getting to know me.

**Misha-**Ugh, I hate this team! My old team was pretty bad, but this is a complete team of f**king morons!

**Ilona-**I think that I shall get along nicely with my new team. Garfield seems like a good person, and Chelsea seems like a good leader.

**Desdemona-**This is my chance for allies. I've got to get a jump on them before Chelsea reels them in.

**Elijah-**Let's see, Chelsea's got a really nice chest, but Desdemona's eyes are very magical. And I can't rule out Ilona just yet. (Begins drooling) I'm in heaven.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Well, this is our shelter," Stanley said as he presented Pamela and the masked boy to it. "Since Calvin won't let anyone into his, we had to build one out here."

"I think I'll pass," Pamela scoffed. "I'll be much happier somewhere away from you people."

"Great idea," Keith said as he slid down a tree. "I find that these trees can be quite relaxing."

"You stay away from me," Pamela said as she shoved Keith aside.

"It's best if you just ignore her," the masked boy sighed as he sat down in the shelter. "She's got another side…I think."

"Well, I'll just leave her to Calvin and Jojo," Stanley said. "I'm pretty sure she'd be able to tear them to pieces."

Calvin and Jojo currently were showing Matilda their shelter.

"This is where you can sleep," Calvin said.

"I don't get it," Matida said. "Like, why do you guys have two separate shelters?"

"Because we don't want to share with losers," Calvin scoffed.

"Yeah, there were some real freaks on our team," Jojo said. "Still are."

"Oh, I hear you," Matilda said. "Some of the people on this show, just have, like, no sense of what's hot and what's not. Like that guy with the ponytail, that is soooo out."

"Now we've got Pamela and that masked boy," Calvin sighed. "We'll have to deal with them eventually too."

"Oh don't get me started on them," Matilda scoffed. "I mean, black is, like, nice and all, but they have waaay too much of it on. And like, Pamela's hair, just wretched. And this is just a hunch, but like, I don't think they're all that nice either."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I think Matilda will fit right into our alliance.

**Pamela-**That Keith guy had better leave me alone. He's a real creep.

**Matilda-**I think I'll be able to get along with Jojo and Calvin. I mean, they're not Chelsea and Garfield, but they seem like, they can be just as cool friends.

**Stanley-**Now the question of who I can trust is just even bigger. Pamela seems like nothing but trouble, and the masked guy won't even show his face, and even Keith I'm not sure about. But we need to stick together if we're going to have a chance against Calvin.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Well, here's the shelter," Chelsea declared. "The pillows are kinda covered in chicken feathers and dirt, but it's better than sleeping on the ground."

"It's fine," Ilona said. "I could use a soft pillow under me after the rough nights I've been having."

"I have some questions," Elijah said as he swung his hand back and forth. "Like do you girls undress when you go to sleep? Do you go swimming in the river? Do you wash yourselves there? Do you do it with your clothes on? Do you dry them off or just walk around dripping wet?"

Ilona smacked him on the back of the head.

"Thank you, Ilona" Chelsea said.

"You're too good for her," Desdemona whispered to Elijah. "She just loves thinking she's above every else here."

"I bet I could charm her over," Elijah declared.

Desdemona just shook her head as she let him go.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**On the one hand, dumb guys are easy to manipulate, on the other hand sometimes they're just too dense to manipulate.

**Chelsea-**Elijah is a like a puppy. A big, horny puppy. I'm thinking we're going to be booting him next.

* * *

(Later)

As the sun set, Chris returned in his helicopter.

"Special delivery, campers!" he exclaimed as he dropped down a pair of packages to each team.

A large crate landed on each of the camps. It was followed by another television set.

"Time for your next challenge, campers," Chris said on the TV. "Inside that crate you will find, among other things, a gold block. It is your job to keep that block in your campsite, as well as to retrieve your opponents block. You will be divided into team, three defenders and four retrievers. Defenders will find some zapper guns that can be used to shock your opponents. Retrievers will find stealth outfits. The first team to bring their opponents block back to their camp will win a trip to a lovely resort island."

The screen showed a montage of scenes such as a hot tub, a massage table, and tables of food. It was met by a chorus of "oooh"s from the campers.

"The challenge begins now," Chris concluded. "This message may or may not self-destruct."

The TV shut off, and both teams waited tensely for something to happen. Nothing did.

"Well," Calvin began as he stepped forward.

BOOM! The TV exploded in Calvin's face.

"Ow," he croaked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**(holding up a tight black outfit) Now this is more what I'm used to. Thank you, Chris.

**Elijah-**(holding up the same outfit) Oh, I can't wait to see the girls all dressed in these.

**Jojo-**(holding up a zapper) Alright, time to inflict some pain.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Okay, who wants what jobs?" Calvin asked.

"I'll stick to sneaking," Keith offered. "It's more my style."

"Like, I don't want to hurt my old teammates," Matilda said. "I'd better go with you."

"I've got no problem with hurting them," Pamela said as she held up one of the guns.

"Ha, I bet I could do it way better than you," Jojo laughed as he picked up a gun and aimed it at Pamela.

"I can see that I should probably stay behind to keep these two in line," Calvin remarked. "Which leaves Stanley and…that guy with a mask to do the stealth job."

"Ow!" Jojo exclaimed. "She shocked me!"

"Just testing," Pamela replied.

"Oh yeah, well maybe I should test too," Jojo said as he fired his weapon at her.

The gun shot out a blue bolt, but Pamela ducked. Instead it was Calvin who got shocked.

"Cut it out, guys," he snapped.

"You're not the boss of me," Pamela said as she shocked him.

"You're going to pay for that!" Calvin replied as he fired back at Pamela.

"Well…I'm going to go get changed," Stanley said.

"We don't stand a chance, do we?" the masked boy sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**(Severely singed) With Ilona gone, that means I'm fully in charge…and I have to deal with Pamela. I think she'll break under my influence eventually though.

**Pamela-**You can tell me that some people don't deserve punishment. But I don't think you can argue that these losers don't deserve it.

**Jojo-**(Also singed) Pamela is so going down. I'm going to punch her right into the ground…and then I'll vote her off.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Okay, team, let's divide up the jobs," Chelsea said. "I'm thinking we're going to need some former Mountains to help us get around the camp easier."

"I'll go," Ilona said. "I can move pretty quickly."

"Me too," Misha added.

"Alright, I'll go with you too," Chelsea said.

"Once again, I think I'd be better suited for the less physical job," Desdemona said. "I think I can keep this place pretty safe though."

Riley opened his mouth, but Chelsea just said, "Let me guess, you'll stay here so you can lie around and sleep?"

"You know it," Riley replied.

Chelsea noticed Elijah with his eyes fixated on her.

"Um, I'm not sure if I feel comfortable bringing him," she said. "We'd better take Garfield."

"Alright," Garfield said. "I suppose we should go get changed."

The girls took their outfits off to the side, while Garfield moved to another side. Once both of them were out of view, behind some bushes, they began to undress.

"Hang on," Ilona said.

She then punched down on a bush.

"Ow!" Elijah moaned as he got out.

"Now it's safe," Ilona said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**Elijah is a bother, but it's Riley who's starting to bother. How can he just refuse work like that?

**Elijah-**She just can't keep her hands to herself.

**Chelsea-**Rivers 2.0, ready for action!

* * *

(Raging Rivers, Retrievers)

The four campers scurried from tree to tree as they arrived at the base of the mountain.

"If we climb up here," Ilona explained, "we'll enter through the forest. From there, we can sneak into the main campsite."

The sun had gone down and it was dark now. The campers' eyes had adjusted, but they could still only see a few feet in front of them. Ilona led them up the mountain, Misha and Chelsea followed, and Garfield brought up the rear. Ilona crawled up into the woods and took a quick look around.

"I think it's clear," she said. "But be as quiet as possible."

Chelsea pulled herself up and offered a hand to Misha. Misha ignored it and pulled herself up on her own. Garfield was the last to arrive.

"The camp is in that direction," Ilona explained. "Do you have a plan?"

"I'm thinking you and Garfield go ahead and try to distract the guards," Chelsea said. "If you can get them away from the gold, that would be best. Try not to let them see you, we don't want them to know how many of us are there. Misha and I will then sneak in and grab the block."

"Sounds good to me," Garfield said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**Chelsea is a good leader. It is a weight off of my shoulders to have someone competent like her in charge.

**Chelsea-**Ilona is a great teammate. She's athletic, but she also follows orders easily.

**Misha-**Bah, I could do this challenge in half an hour. But no, I've gotta keep up the show.

* * *

(Raging Rivers, Defenders)

Riley was snoring in the shelter, so this just left Desdemona and Elijah to patrol the outside. Elijah twirled his pistol playfully, while Desdemona kept a keen eye on the gold block.

"Sooo…Desdemona, what are you into?" Elijah asked.

"Let's see, charms, dreams, divination," Desdemona listed.

"Okay, sounds…fascinating," Elijah replied. "What sort of man are you looking for? Because I can guarantee that I can be that."

"Well," Desdemona said in a hushed tone as she pulled Elijah close, "I like a guy who can really make an impact. You know, really show me that he's ready to step up and make a difference. Can you do that?"

"Uh…yes?" Elijah replied.

"Good," Desdemona said. "Now get back to patrolling the area."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**It would seem as though Elijah responds to a different kind of manipulation. That's okay, I can adapt.

**Elijah-**Desdemona is pretty smoking, but really unusual. I think I'll just stick with Chelsea or Ilona, I know I can win them over if I just work hard enough.

* * *

(Monster Mountains, Defenders)

"Okay, guys, let's spread out," Calvin ordered. "They could be coming from any direction, so we have to be careful."

The three of them dispersed over the campsite with their guns pointed outward. Jojo and Calvin both paced through the trees, while Pamela circled the camp. After getting bored, she turned to the trees and looked for any movement. She spotted a figure walking by and fired at it.

"Ow!" Jojo cried out.

She fired again. And again. And again.

"Ow! Ouch! Seriously knock it off!" Jojo exclaimed as he burst out of the woods. "It's just me!"

"Oh…sorry, I thought you were someone else," Pamela scoffed.

"Yeah right," Jojo scoffed. "I'm through going easy on you."

He held up his gun and began to fire and her. Pamela was shocked once, but she soon rolled aside. She held up her gun and began firing in return. Jojo shuffled behind a tree. From there he peeked out and fired several more times at Pamela. She was able to dodge some, but not all of the shots.

Further in the forest, Calvin was walking. He could hear their cries as they fought.

"Morons," he grumbled as he rubbed his temples.

Suddenly he heard some rustling in the bushes. He remained silent as he tiptoed over to the shrubs. He pointed his gun at it, but before he could fire Garfield burst out. He ran through the trees as quickly as he could.

"That's right, get out of here," Calvin exclaimed as he chased and fired after him.

Without him knowing, Chelsea and Misha crept by. They stayed low to the ground as they approached the camp. Chelsea peeked out and saw Pamela and Jojo fighting.

"This is going to be too easy," she told Misha.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I'd like to think that Pamela was trying to help out her old team. But really she was just being her usually jerk self.

**Misha-**While this game is full of idiots, I think Pamela might be the biggest one. Does she want to get herself eliminated or something?

* * *

(Monster Mountains, Retrievers)

Keith, Matilda, Stanley, and the masked boy moved stealthily from tree to tree.

"It's just up here," Matilda said.

"Do you think we'll run into any trouble?" Stanley asked.

"I doubt it," Matilda said. "Chelsea probably took the stronger players to be, like, retrievers. That just leaves guys like Riley who don't really do anything."

"Sounds simple enough," Keith said. "But let's not get cocky. You never know what might happen."

As the team got closer they began to hear the voices of Elijah and Desdemona.

"Okay guys," the masked boy said. "Let's spread out."

He turned to see that Keith had already disappeared.

"Somebody is already one step ahead of you," Stanley remarked.

The other three then dispersed and crept around the camp. As Matilda crawled through the bushes, she accidentally stepped on a twig which snapped.

"Who's there?!" Elijah exclaimed as he pointed his gun at her.

Matilda cursed to herself, then decided to take a risk.

"It's just me," she said as she crawled out.

"Oh…well," Elijah said as he put the gun down. "It would be wrong to shoot a lovely lady like yourself."

"Aw, thanks," Matilda giggled.

Suddenly Elijah noticed some more movement and aimed his gun outwards.

"But I have no problem shooting guys," Elijah said as he fired rapidly at Stanley.

"Ow, ow," Stanley cried. "I'm outta here."

Keith, meanwhile, had spotted the gold. Silently he swept over to it. He reached out and tried to pick it up. However, he found that it was heavy then he expected.

"Come on," he groaned as he tried to lift it.

"You wanna put that down?" Desdemona said as she pointed her gun at his head.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I'm a thinker, and I've got good agility. Strength? I leave that to others.

**Matilda-**Elijah is, like, a pushover. He seems like a nice guy, but not that brightest bulb.

**Elijah-**I'm not ruling out Matilda. We'll be merging eventually and if she's still here then I could have chance with her.

* * *

(Raging Rivers, Retrievers)

Chelsea and Misha were able to sneak right past Jojo and Pamela. The two mountains were still intent on fighting each other, so that left the gold right in the open. Wordlessly both girls bent down and lifted it up. They carried it over to the woods; however, Jojo spotted them.

"Hey!" he cried as he charged after them.

He pushed Pamela over and bolted after Chelsea and Misha.

"Faster!" Chelsea exclaimed.

Jojo fired at them, though, and one shot him Chelsea.

"Aie!" she exclaimed as she jerked with electricity.

She let go of the gold which tumbled away.

"No!" Misha exclaimed as she tried to grab it.

She couldn't reach it though, and it rolled right over the edge of the mountain. The girls didn't have time to follow it, though, as Jojo was still chasing after them.

Meanwhile, Calvin was gaining on Garfield. He fired several more shots, which Garfield was able to dodge.

"You can't escape me!" Calvin laughed.

Suddenly Garfield tripped over a rock and stumbled to the ground.

"Aha, now I got you!" Calvin exclaimed as he pointed his gun at him.

However, before he could fire, Ilona emerged from the bushes. With a firm chop to his head, she knocked Calvin unconscious.

"Come on, let's get out of here," she exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**That clumsy cheerleader screwed us over. And what really bugs me is that she'll probably tell her sob story and everyone will feel sorry for it. Makes me sick!

* * *

(Raging Rivers, Defenders)

"Alright, just let go and no one gets hurt," Desdemona said as she held her gun at Keith.

Keith obeyed, slowly moving his hands and putting them upwards. Back in the camp, Matilda was dealing with Elijah.

"Come on, let's go somewhere a little more private," she exclaimed as she dragged him away.

"Duh…okay," Elijah exclaimed dumbly.

This allowed Stanley and the masked boy to sneak past him and towards the gold. Desdemona was so focused on Keith, that she didn't notice Stanley grab the gold. At least, not at first…

"Aha!" she exclaimed as she twirled around and fired at Stanley.

Stanley was shocked, but not before tossing the gold to the masked boy.

"Get it out of here," he ordered.

The masked boy gave a curt nod before darting out of the area.

"No!" Desdemona exclaimed. "Come back!"

She sprinted after him with all the speed she could muster. Just before he could reach the edge of the camp, Desdemona jolted forward and tackled into him. She managed to knock him right to the ground. However, he didn't give up. He kicked her aside and tossed the gold back to Stanley.

"Got it!" Stanley exclaimed.

However he was soon shocked and dropped the gold again.

"Not so fast," Riley said as he emerged from the shelter. "I suggest you leave."

"Right, leaving," Keith exclaimed as the three of them disappeared back into the bushes.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**That's right, you don't mess with Desdemona…and to a lesser extent, Riley.

**Riley-**I did my deed of the day. Back to bed.

**Keith-**I warned them not to underestimate them.

* * *

(Raging River, Retrievers)

Misha and Chelsea had managed to lose Jojo. The two girls were quickly scaling down the mountain.

"I think it fell over here," Chelsea said. "Keep your eyes peeled."

The two girls tensed up though, when they heard the sound of someone approaching. They prepared to run, but then they saw who it was.

"Just us," Garfield said. "Did you get the gold?"

"We did," Misha grumbled, "but then we lost it."

"It's around here somewhere," Chelsea explained.

The four kept their eyes on the ground as they looked for the block of gold.

"I think I found it," Misha called.

The others were about to follow, when suddenly Garfield jerked in pain.

"Gotcha!" Jojo laughed as he fired at Garfield.

The boy emerged from the darkness and continued to point his gun at the others.

"Who's next?" he chuckled.

Ilona moved quickly. Jojo was already close to her, so it was easy to grab his wrist. She flipped him over and slammed him into a tree.

"Come on, let's hurry," Ilona said, "we've got to get out of here before—"

"Before I show up," Pamela said as she emerged from the other end. "I'm going to enjoy this."

She fired several times at Ilona. The girl dropped to the ground in pain.

"Stop," Ilona exclaimed through gritted teeth.

"Mm…nah," Pamela laughed evilly as she continued to fire at Ilona.

Suddenly she recoiled in pain.

"Huh?!" she exclaimed in confused.

"Payback time!" Chelsea said as she wielded Jojo's gone and fired again. "Misha get the gold."

Misha was already escaping with the gold brick on his back. Pamela was preparing to return fire on Chelsea now. The cheerleader rolled to the side and fired several more times at Pamela.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do this," Pamela laughed.

"I think I might," Chelsea replied as she fired at her several more times.

"We have to keep moving," Garfield said as he pulled himself back up.

Chelsea nodded and rolled backwards. Ilona crawled after them. Pamela fired after them, but Chelsea continued to shoot back. Eventually Pamela had been hit enough, that she gave up chasing after them.

"Ha, that's right, you'd better run," Pamela shouted after them.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelesa-**I don't understand why Masky likes to hang out with her. She's nothing by a psychopath.

**Misha-**I pretty much won this challenge for my team. Of course they'll probably say something stupid like, 'it was a group effort,' but really it was all me.

* * *

(Later)

Misha was able to make it through the woods without incident. Soon she had arrived back at the camp.

"Here you are," she exclaimed as she dropped the gold down.

"Yes, we did it!" Desdemona cheered.

"Well, looks like that's my cue to leave," Matilda said as she abandoned Elijah.

"Hey, wait a minute, I get the feeling that you were just trying to distract me," Elijah called after her.

"Uh, it's all in your head," Matilda called back.

"Oh, that's a relief," Elijah sighed.

"Well, well, well, we have our winners," Chris announced. "Rivers, for the rest of the night, you'll be enjoying some time at a lovely luxury resort. Mountains, I've got nothing for you. However, I must warn you all, this will be your final reward. After this, it'll be an elimination every night."

Chris received a few shocked gasps at this announcement.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**Pamela blew it for us. She is so out of here the next time we go to elimination.

**Chelsea-**Our new team rocks!

**Stanley-**I think this was to be expected. There's way too many clashing personalities here.

* * *

(Resort)

The Raging Rivers were all enjoying being pampered at the fancy resort island. Riley was enjoying the hot tub with a fruity drink in his hand. Ilona, Chelsea, and Misha were all sprawled out on lounge chair with warm towels over their backs.

"Ah, I so needed this," Chelsea sighed.

Unlike the others who were all in bathing suits, Desdemona chose to remain in her dress. She looked to incredibly hot.

"You know, you can take that off," Elijah pointed out.

"Oh no," Desdemona said through panting breath. "I'm…fine."

"Suit yourself," Elijah said with a shrug.

He then went over to examine the other girls.

"Hey, ladies," he greeted.

"Beat it," Misha snapped as she through a towel over his eyes. "…I mean, please, beat it."

"I think this is a good sign, guys," Garfield said as he held a plate of food. "We'll be winning a lot more in the future."

"You said it," Chelsea agreed. "Here's to the new and improved Raging Rivers!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**(sweating heavily) Sometimes I ask myself if it's really worth it. But one little slip up and I could blow my shot at the million dollars.

**Garfield-**That trip really boosted morale. I didn't even realize how much I missed all the finer things in life.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And so concludes our final reward challenge," Chris wrapped up. "Next time we start our nonstop streak of eliminations. Can the Monster Mountains pull themselves together? Or will it be one elimination after another for them? Can Desdemona turn the tables on Chelsea? Will Keith ever be revealed? More is coming so keep watching Total…Drama…Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Sasha was trapped in a chamber in the temple. There seemed to be no exit, only stone and wild vegetation.

"You think you can hold the fierce Lady Sasha?!" she exclaimed. "Think again!"

She then charged at a wall and began striking at it with her stick. After several ferocious strikes, the wall began to crumble and eventually gave way.

"Ha, ha, there is no stopping me!" she cheered as she crawled through the hole.

She found herself in a narrow hallway. With every couple of steps, a knife would shoot out from the side of the wall. But she managed to stop, duck, and backpedal her way out of harm. She continued like this, until a spiked platform came crashing down from ceiling. She rolled to the side, only to find that the floor was spreading open.

"So, you want to play hard?" she exclaimed.

She took a breath, then leapt over the expanding gap. She rushed through the hallway, dodging several more traps, when she heard a rumbling. She glanced behind herself to see a massive boulder rolling straight for her.

"Yikes," she exclaimed as she picked up the pace.

She saw a door and charged right for it. The boulder crashed into it, without damaging her.

"Success!" she cheered.

It was then that she looked around and realized that she was back outside. Turning around, she saw that her entrance was blocked.

"Hm, we'll consider this a draw, temple," she said. "But I'll be back!"

_Author's Note: Well, a lot has changed as we start the second act, but I think it was time for a switch up. The rewards were a good way to stretch out time and give you a chance to get to know everyone, but now it's time to pick up the pace. Be sure to keep reviewing and let me know what you think :D_


	12. Who's On First?

_Author's Note: Just letting you know, if you read Total Drama ReAction, I am currently writing the next chapter. I hit a snag though, and decided to write another chapter of Stranded. But it will be continuing eventually._

"Welcome back to Total Drama Stranded," Chris announced. "Last time, the campers were in for a surprise when I switched up the teams. Ilona, Elijah, and Misha all became Rivers, and Pamela, Matilda, and that masked guy all became Mountains. Some, like Ilona, were happy with their new teams, while others, like Matilda, weren't so much. Stanley was shocked the fine that he could easily fall into the minority without his friends, while Desdemona seized the opportunity to claim some new allies. The challenge took place in the evening, and it had the campers testing their stealth as they tried to steal a block of gold from their opponents. The Rivers pulled through and won a trip to a resort. We're starting our elimination streak now, so who will be going home next? Find out right now on Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

The first thing Rusty did when he woke was check to make sure he still had his idol. Satisfied that he had kept it safe, he then stretched out and walked along the beach. It wasn't long before he spotted Shannon. The girl had cleaned herself off, and was currently posing in several different stances in front of a camera.

"Um, what are you doing?" Rusty asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Shannon scoffed. "I'm giving the viewers something enjoyable to view. I've seen what happens in previous seasons, the sexy contestants always become fan favorites. If I can make the viewers notice me then it won't be long before I become the most popular contestant. They'll be images of me all over the internet with people demanding my return. When Chris sees it, he'll have no choice but to bring me back."

"I…see," Rusty said unconvinced.

"That plan is stupid," Jason declared as he left the shelter. "If anyone's going to become a fan favorite, it's me. I'm sure everyone saw how unfair everyone treated me for my blindness, and they'll all feel sympathetic to my story. Pretty soon, Chris will be getting all sorts of hate mail demanding me back on the show."

"I'm sorry, but you really aren't the most sympathetic person I've met," Rusty pointed out.

"Yeah, that's me," Shannon declared. "Everyone hates me, just because I'm beautiful. Well, it's not my fault."

She faked a sniffle.

"You two are pathetic," Rusty declared.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**There's only one person who deserves back on that show: Me. They need a drama started and that's my specialty. And besides do you see those two losers with this? (Pulls out his idol.)

* * *

(Raging Rivers Camp)

Ilona was the first to wake on her team. Once she had shaken the sleep out of her, she went through her routine jog. This time, though, she was exploring new terrain. She inspected her environment as she ran between trees. When she returned she found the others getting up.

"Wow, you got up early," Chelsea remarked.

"I've got to stay energized," Ilona remarked. "You never know what challenge Chris will throw at us."

"Well, I was just about to catch some breakfast," Garfield said. "With the masked boy it's just me, unless anyone wants to volunteer to help."

"Here, take him," Chelsea said as she tossed Elijah towards them. "I feel less violated already without him around."

It was then that Ilona noticed Riley still sleeping.

"What's with him?" she asked.

"Pfft, he doesn't do work around here," Chelsea said as she rolled her eyes. "He just lies around and sleeps."

"Well, I'm not going to stand for someone like that on my team," Ilona declared. "Hey, you, get up!"

"Wha?" Riley yawned as he turned his head.

"You need to start helping out your team," Ilona declared. "Because I don't tolerate slackers on my team."

"But it's so early," Riley whined. "Give me a couple more hours."

"What do you think this is?" Ilona snapped. "You're on a team in the middle of a uninhabited island, you need to start giving some support if you want to stick around."

"Oh, leave him alone," Desdemona defended. "He may not work as much, but his spirit is in the right place."

"It is?" Riley asked.

Desdemona kicked him lightly in the arm.

"Oh, right, my spirit is totally…um, good," Riley said.

Ilona just glared at Riley with frustration before marching off. Chelsea, meanwhile, had noticed that Misha's hair had become knotted.

"Oh no, Misha you have bed-hair," Chelsea gasped. "And it's got dirt and twigs in there too."

"It's fine," Misha said. "I wouldn't come out here if wasn't ready to get a little dirty."

"Now, just hang on," Chelsea said as she reached into her pocket. "I've got a brush."

She sat Misha down on a rock and began brushing her hair

"Oh, I always wanted a little sister I could do this with," Chelsea exclaimed.

"That's nice," Misha said as Chelsea dug the brush through the knots. "But I think we're about the same age."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Ugh, I hate my new team. At least my old team didn't have any girly girls on it.

**Desdemona-**Of course I want to keep Riley safe. Can you imagine how easy he would be to beat once we hit the merge? And he's dim enough to manipulate easily. The only problem is, he's making himself into a pretty big target. Especially with Ilona around.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"We need to get rid of Pamela," Jojo declared as he paced the shelter. "I mean, Stanley's bad, but I just can't stand being with her."

"Agreed," Matilda said. "She is, like, such a monster. I can't wait till, like, she's gone."

"But the problem is she fights back," Jojo scowled. "You push her and she punches your face back."

"She won't be a problem," Calvin declared. "We'll destroy her, just like we did to Briony. It'll be easier, even, Pamela has already isolated herself from any friends."

"So, what do you suggest we do?" Jojo asked. "I can think some pretty awesome punishments…but most of them involve lockers or toilets."

"I think I saw some poison ivy over there," Calvin said. "What do you say we give her a rude awakening with it?"

"Oh, this is going to be, like, so awesome," Matilda laughed. "She's going to be all like, 'Aaah, poison ivy!' and we're going to be like, 'Ha, that's what you get!'"

"Yeah, that's the gest of it," Calvin said. "Let's go."

The trio headed outside where Calvin spotted the poisonous plan growing against a tree. He kept his hands inside his sleeves as he uprooted it.

"Now, let's find her," Calvin said. "She's not with the others, so she'll be all on her own."

The three explored the forest as they searched for their victim. Eventually, they found her asleep leaning against a tree.

"Ha, this is going to be good," Matilda cackled.

Calvin prepared to drop the poison ivy over Pamela's face, but suddenly her eye cracked open. With catlike reflexes she rolled aside and grabbed a stick. In another swift motion she swung the stick upwards and knocked the ivy back into Calvin's face.

"Ow, it burns!" Calvin cried.

"That's what you get," Pamela sneered at him.

"Hey, we were supposed to say that!" Matilda pouted.

"Well, look at this," Pamela scoffed. "We switch teams and suddenly Miss Sweetie is trying to torment others. Let me guess, is that 'in' now?"

"You totally deserve it," Matilda retorted. "You're, like, nothing but a big jerk."

"And that gives you the right to do what you like with me?" Pamela shot back. "So, which are you, the kettle or the pot?"

"What's going on?" the masked boy exclaimed as he rushed towards them. "I heard some commotion."

"Oh, just some normal teenage behaviour," Pamela declared. "Don't act so surprised."

"Glad to see you can take care of yourself, Pam," Keith said as he slid down a tree. "I saw the whole thing and—"

"Didn't feel like helping me out," Pamela finished. "Because, let me guess, I deserve it."

"No, no, no," Keith exclaimed. "I was seriously, just going for help, when you woke."

"Yeah, I believe that," Pamela scoffed as she turned to leave. "I'm outta here. Unless you want to me to really get mad, don't bother me."

Meanwhile, Stanley was just waking up in the shelter. He rolled around the empty space awkwardly before opening his eyes. He sighed to himself as he looked around.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**It's really sad to think that it was only about a week ago when I shared that shelter with four friends. I've still got Keith, but he tends to stay by himself. This team really isn't looking too friendly.

**Pamela-**They want me gone, no doubt about it. Instead of trying to help my case, I'm just going to give them all hell until that time comes.

**Matilda-**Like, I'd totally be a kettle…wouldn't I? Pots are round and totally ugly.

**Calvin-**(with a red rash over his face) So, Pamela thinks she can just brush us aside like that. Well, I am going to crush that fire inside of her. With Briony a small piece of me felt somewhat bad, but Pamela is fully bringing this on herself.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The team was eating their breakfast of fish once again.

"Well, I think I've got all the tangles out," Chelsea said to Misha. "I'll have to work at it for a couple more days before it gets silky smooth, though."

"I'm telling you, it's not a problem," Misha insisted. "I really don't mind."

"But your hair is so pretty," Chelsea insisted. "It's such a shame for it to get dirty like that."

Ilona was still looking at Riley disapprovingly.

"I still don't see why he gets a share of the fish," Ilona said. "I'm all for equal support to everyone in the team, but as far as I'm concerned if he doesn't contribute, he's not part of the team."

"What am I supposed to do? Catch my own fish?" Riley scoffed.

"Yes," Ilona declared. "Unless you want to step up and become a part of the team."

"Riley has a lot to offer," Desdemona insisted. "Just because he doesn't work at camp, doesn't mean that he has no other talents."

"I've seen you perform at challenges," Ilona pointed out. "That guy does nothing."

"But did you know that I have the power to hear the voices of spirits?" Desdemona asked. "They've told me that Riley has untapped potential waiting to come out."

"Really?" Riley asked skeptically. "Are you sure they weren't speaking about someone else?"

"The spirits do not make mistakes," Desdemona declared. "And everyone from my team knows that my messages should be taken seriously, right?"

"Oh…uh, yeah," Garfield replied. "She seems to know what she's talking about."

"Well, I prefer hard proof," Ilona declared. "And right now all I see is that this boy is nothing but a lazy slob."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**Compared to my last team, Riley isn't much of a problem, but he is still the weakest link. I'll respect him when he starts making an effort to improve.

**Chelsea-**Desdemona's future predictions aren't exactly something I trust to go by. Sure, she's told us some things, but I just don't see Riley suddenly carrying us to victory.

**Riley-**I liked it better before the team switch. People seemed so much angrier at each other rather than at me.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"So, what was happening earlier?" Stanley asked the masked boy.

The two of them were eating berries inside of their shelter.

"Calvin and his team were planning on covering Pamela with poison ivy," the masked boy explained. "She took care of them."

"Really? Maybe I should go talk to her," Stanley said.

"She probably won't appreciate that," the masked boy said. "She prefers to be alone, and when she gets angry she tends to upset others."

"I think she could use a friend and ally," Stanley said.

"Believe me, I've been trying to be that for a while now," the masked boy sighed. "But if you want to give it a shot, be my guest."

Stanley left the shelter and went out to find Pamela. He found her sitting under another tree.

"Hi," he said.

"Get lost or you will regret it," Pamela growled.

"Look, I come in peace," Stanley said as he put his hands up defensively.

Pamela snorted skeptically.

"I heard about what happened this morning," Stanley said. "I just want you know that you have allies. We can take out Calvin at the next chance we get."

"So you're using my suffering as a way to eliminate one of your enemies," Pamela said.

"What?" Stanley exclaimed. "No, I just-"

"I bet as soon as you heard what happened you thought, 'this is great, now Pamela is sure to vote the way I want,'" Pamela scoffed.

"No," Stanley insisted. "I just wanted to offer some support to you."

"Stop lying, you wanted my support because you know how screwed you are," Pamela shot back. "I said get lost."

With that she tossed a handful of dirt and pebbles into Stanley's face.

Meanwhile, as Calvin as his group left the forest they ran into Keith.

"Hey, Keith," Calvin called over to him.

"Hello," Keith greeted.

"Look, I need to know, are you a part of our alliance or not?" Calvin asked. "You say you are, but then you go off on your own. How do I know you're not hanging out with the enemy?"

"Maybe I am," Keith replied. "Maybe I just want to make sure I have an ear in their plans. It's called strategy, perhaps you could look it up sometime."

"Whatever," Calvin scoffed. "Just make sure you vote for Pamela at the next time we go to Pamela."

"Will do," Keith replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Pamela is not a threat. I think I'll wait to find a much more preferable target.

**Calvin-**I don't like Keith. He's just a freak like the rest. I offered him a chance to join me, but he'd rather stick to himself. Well, once I don't need his vote anymore, he's gone.

**Stanley-**Pamela really isn't being easy. I figure that she'll vote for Calvin anyway, but then I think that she might not just to spite me.

* * *

"Campers!" Chris's voice blared through his megaphone. "It's time for another challenge. Just follow the sound of my beautiful voice to spot in the forest."

The Raging Rivers crossed the water and made their way through the forest. The Monster Mountains climbed down and also went through the woods. Both of them found Chris at the same time.

"Welcome to today's immunity challenge," Chris greeted. "If you take a look around you'll see what we're set up for."

The campers looked around the forest to see that flat white platforms had been set up in a diamond formation.

"That's right, it's a nice, simple game of baseball," Chris announced.

"Yes!" Jojo cheered. "You can just skip the challenge. There is no way I'm losing this."

"Don't be so sure," Ilona retorted. "I'm not about to give any less than 100%."

"Ha, that's so lame," Jojo scoffed. "I always give at least 110%, and that's on a bad day."

"Okay, let me just explain how this will work," Chris said. "There will only be two innings. Your goal is to make it all the way to home. If you make it, you get a point, if you get tagged, you're out. The inning ends once everyone has either made it home or is out. The team who manages to get the most home will win immunity. For the first inning, it's Rivers up to bat and Mountains outfield. Get to your positions and let's…play ball!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**As a jock I'm skilled in every sport, but baseball is without a doubt my specialty. That team is going to be obliterated.

**Chelsea-**I used to cheer at a lot of baseball games. Batter batter, what's the matter, can't hit the ball, it's time to fall! Hm, I suppose that's really more jeering than cheering.

**Stanley-**If Briony were still here I'm sure she'd point out that it's impossible to give more than 100%.

* * *

The Monster Mountains were spreading out to their outfield positions.

"Chris, this is going to be a bit of a problem," Stanley remarked. "The ground is uneven and there are trees everywhere."

"That'll just make the game more exciting," Chris exclaimed.

"Works for me," Keith said as he climbed up a tree and held out his baseball mitt.

"I call pitcher!" Jojo exclaimed. "I bet I could get everyone out with my famous fastball."

Calvin, Pamela, and Stanley spread out to the three bases. Keith remained in a tree between first and second base, while the masked boy stood between second and third. This left Matilda as back catcher.

"Rivers, we're ready for your first batter," Chris exclaimed.

Ilona stepped forward.

"Get ready for a never-ending streak of losing," Jojo taunted.

"You don't scare me," Ilona retorted.

"Alright, begin!" Chris exclaimed.

Jojo tossed a ball that zoomed straight past Ilona and landed in Matilda's mitt. The force was so strong that it slammed Matilda right back into a tree behind her.

"I'm…okay," Matilda said dizzily.

She tossed the ball back to Jojo.

"That's strike one," Chris announced.

"Told you so," Jojo taunted.

"I'm not done yet," Ilona said.

Jojo tossed another ball and Ilona swung. The ball just missed the bat.

"That's strike two!" Chris exclaimed as Matilda tossed the ball back.

"Prepare to be the first loser," Jojo laughed as he tossed one more time.

Ilona glared and swung she smacked the ball and sent it out into the course. She wasted no time in running for first base.

"Go, Ilona, go!" her team cheered for her.

The ball had landed somewhere in the distance and both the masked boy and Keith were searching for it. Ilona arrived at first base where Calvin looked ready to stop her. However, without the ball, Ilona ran right through him and continued onto second base.

"Come on," Jojo exclaimed. "Get the ball!"

The masked boy found the ball and tossed it to Pamela. Ilona reached second base and Pamela caught the ball.

"Ilona is safe," Chris declared. "Rivers, send out your next batter."

Misha stepped out.

"Be careful, Jojo," Calvin said. "Her strike zone is probably extremely low."

Misha growled with frustration. Jojo pitched and she swung. The ball just barely past the bat.

"Strike one," Chris exclaimed.

Misha narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth. Jojo pitched again and she swung even fast. She managed to hit the ball, but only a tap before is soared back into Matilda's mitt.

"Strike two," Chris announced.

"Ugh," Misha grumbled.

"It's okay, Misha," Chelsea said. "We understand."

"What?!" Misha snapped as she swung her bat with fury.

She hit the ball which shot down to the ground in the center of the field. Misha realized what happened and ran with incredibly speed to first base. Ilona prepared to leave second, but just as she was taking off, Pamela tripped her. She stumbled forward into the dirt. She didn't give up, though, and kept charging for third base. Jojo found the ball and grabbed it. He looked at Ilona making her way to third base and tossed the ball at Stanley. Ilona touched the base just before Stanley caught the ball.

"Ilona is safe at third while Misha made it first," Chris announced.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**I already spent the last week proving to my old team that I can be useful during challenges, and now I have to do it all over again!

* * *

"Who's up next?" Chris asked.

Garfield stepped out with a bat.

"Yay, you can do this Garfield!" Chelsea cheered.

Garfield held the bat tightly and prepared to swing. Unfortunately, he spent so much time preparing that he didn't even notice the first ball until it was too late.

"That's strike one," Chris announced.

Jojo pitched again, but this time Garfield swung. He hit the ball at an awkward angle and sent to off to the side.

"That's a foul," Chris said.

Jojo pitched for a third time and Garfield swung again. He hit it this time and the ball shot up into the trees.

"I got it," Keith exclaimed as he swung over to the tree.

Garfield took off to first base. Ilona moved with a much quicker speed to home plate. Misha was faster than both of them. Like a rocket she passed second and headed for third.

"Jojo!" Keith exclaimed as he tossed the ball to the pitcher.

Jojo caught in and in a split-second decision tossed the ball into Matilda's outstretched mitt. Ilona crashed right into it.

"Ilona you are outta here," Chris exclaimed. "That leaves Misha on third and Garfield on first."

"I'm up now," Desdemona said as she stepped forward.

"So, Desdemona, are the stars in your favor?" Chris asked.

"When it comes to sports, sadly the stars are never in my favor," Desdemona sighed. "But that doesn't mean that I can't help my team."

"I'm pretty sure it does," Chris remarked. "But whatever, get ready to swing."

Jojo tossed a ball and Desdemona swung clumsily. She tapped the ball just right in front of her.

"That's a hit," Chris declared.

Desdemona took off with a slow run. Misha was already making her way to home, while Garfield was making a caution run to second. Jojo grabbed the ball and chased after Desdemona.

"Oh no, you've got me now," Desdemona exclaimed as she stopped running.

"Desdemona, don't give up now!" Chelsea cried.

"Oh, what choice do I have?" Desdemona sighed.

Jojo quickly approached with the ball in his hand.

"Except this!" Desdemona exclaimed as she kicked dust up into Jojo's eyes.

Jojo was stunned momentarily, giving her the chance to run past him. It also gave Garfield the chance to pass second and go onto third. Jojo regained himself, though, and tossed the ball to Calvin.

"Desdemona, you're out," Chris exclaimed. "Misha, however, managed to make it all the way to home and earned you your first point. Garfield is currently on third."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I knew that I wouldn't be any help if I tried to run, so I decided to give Garfield a chance. Hopefully it'll make a difference.

**Misha-**Of course I would have to win the first point on this pathetic team. It's probably going to be the only point we make this challenge.

* * *

"Elijah is up," Chris exclaimed.

"Alright, I'm gonna hit a homerun for all the ladies," Elijah declared.

"You mean for the team, right?" Ilona said.

"Meh, that works too," Elijah said with a shrug.

Elijah swung for the first pitch and missed. Jojo pitched again, and this time Elijah was able to hit the ball. It shot up into the trees. Elijah ran at an average pace towards first base. Garfield took off as fast as he could for home plate.

"Got it," Keith exclaimed as he dropped out of a tree with the ball in hand.

He tossed it to Calvin who tapped Elijah with it.

"Elijah is out," Chris declared. "But Garfield made it all the way to home plate. That's two points for the Rivers."

"Well, that wasn't a homerun," Misha said.

"But it was a good effort," Desdemona said. "And isn't that what we support on this team?"

"Yeah…yeah, good job," Chelsea said half-heartedly.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Elijah is another potential ally. Hopefully he realizes that I'm the only one who values him. Now I just have to pray that Riley proves himself, he'd better not make me look bad.

**Chelsea-**It's hard to feel supportive of Elijah when he's as annoying as he is. But I suppose no team can be perfect.

* * *

"Riley is up to bat now," Chris announced.

Riley looked drowsy as he held up the bat.

"Alright, Riley, it's time to show everyone all that untapped potential you have," Desdemona said.

"I'm telling you, I don't know what you're talking about," Riley replied.

"Just try your best," Desdemona sighed.

Jojo tossed the ball and Riley didn't even bother to swing.

"That's a strike," Chris said.

"Are you even trying?" Ilona asked.

"That was a fast ball," Riley complained.

Jojo pitched again. This time Riley swung, but not until the ball was long past him.

"That's strike two," Chris said.

"Come on, Riley, that spirits are with you," Desdemona said.

Jojo pitched for a third time and Riley swung. He missed.

"Riley you are the first strikeout," Chris announced.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Great, so much for my prophecy.

**Chelesa-**My turn now. Time to show Jojo some of my moves. I think he'll be impressed.

**Jojo-**Ha ha ha, this team is too easy. Just one more to go and I don't think she'll be a problem.

* * *

"Okay, time to show you my super swing," Chelsea exclaimed as she waved her bat back and forth like a baton.

The ball soared right past her.

"Hey, I wasn't' ready!" she pouted.

"That's still strike one," Chris said.

Jojo pitched again, this time Chelsea managed to hit it. With a powerful swing she sent the ball all the way out past the bases. It slammed right into Keith's face and knocked him to the ground.

"Well, Chelsea's going to need all the time she can get," Chris commented. "Since she needs to get a homerun if she wants to score a point."

Chelsea sprinted to first base and turned to second. Jojo dashed over to the dazed Keith and grabbed the ball.

"I'll stop her," he declared.

Chelsea was making her way to third when Jojo charged at her. She picked up the pace as she headed for home plate. Nearly all of the Monster Mountains were closing in on her. She was nearly at home when Jojo dived and knocked her to the ground.

"You're out," Jojo said as he got off of Chelsea.

"Well, that was quite impressive of you," Chelsea said with a blush and smile.

"Oh, well, you did pretty good too," Jojo replied.

Chelsea giggled. Pamela gagged and grabbed the ball.

"Didn't you hear him? You're out!" She smacked the ball down on Chelsea's head. "Stop laughing, you're out! You lost! You screwed up!"

The masked boy had to drag her away before she could continue attacking Chelsea.

"Well, that was…interesting," Chris said. "But Raging Rivers are done. You guys scored two points total. Now it's the Monster Mountains' turn to bat, if they can score higher than two, they win this challenge."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**(rubbing her head) What is that girl's problem? I can laugh or smile whenever I want.

**Keith-**Chelsea is making it pretty obvious that she likes Jojo. This could come in handy.

**Pamela-**Love is stupid and non-existent!

* * *

The Raging Rivers had spread out to their new positions. Ilona was pitcher and Desdemona was back catcher. Garfield, Chelsea, and Elijah held the three bases. Misha and Riley were both positioned between the bases.

"First up to bat, it's Jojo," Chris announced.

"If you thought I was good with the ball, wait till you see me with the bat," Jojo boasted.

Ilona threw the ball and Jojo swung with incredible force. The ball shot off into the sky and didn't come down.

"Well…that's a homerun," Chris remarked.

"Ha, told you," Jojo laughed as he made his way around to home plate.

"The Mountains already have their first point," Chris commented. "They just need one more to tie up the game. And here comes Pamela."

Pamela looked angry as she stared at Ilona. Ilona threw the ball and Pamela swung with fury. It wasn't as powerful as Jojo's, but it did shoot out into the forest. Misha immediately darted for it.

"Outta the way," Pamela exclaimed as she knocked over Garfield and took first base.

She was about to continue, but Misha caught the ball and tossed it to Ilona.

"Pamela makes it to first," Chris commented. "And up next is Calvin."

Ilona sneered at Calvin and tossed the ball. Calvin swung, but just missed the ball.

"Strike one!" Chris exclaimed.

Ilona pitched for a second time and Calvin swung again. He hit the ball an average distance. Chelsea was able to reach the ball quickly. She twirled around and shoved Pamela to the ground with the ball.

"That was for before," she said. "And you're out."

Pamela kicked dirt at Chelsea but stormed back. Calvin had already made it to first base.

"We've got Stanley up next," Chris announced.

Stanley glanced at Misha in thought. Then Ilona threw the ball and he swung. He hit the ball and knocked it right past Riley.

"Riley, grab the ball!" Ilona ordered.

Riley was slow and sluggish as he tried to grab the ball. This allowed for both Stanley and Calvin to make it to their next bases.

"Oh, leave it to me," Misha scoffed as she went after the ball.

Stanley had made it to second base by now and Calvin was at third. Misha grunted in frustration as she threw the ball back to Ilona.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Once again, I'm the only one doing anything on this team. I hope they realize how lucky they are to have me on their team. But they probably don't.

**Stanley-**Misha is a strong point on their team, so the best strategy is to keep her as far away from the ball as possible.

**Desdemona-**And Riley is just as useless outfield as he is at the bat. He may be too dim to realize it, but he's making it very hard for me to keep him safe.

* * *

"Alright, Stanley is on second and Calvin is on third," Chris recapped. "Now it's Keith's turn to bat."

Keith smiled weakly as he lifted up the bat. Ilona tossed the ball and he swung without much force. The ball went up and landed right back in Ilona's hand.

"You're out," she said bluntly.

Calvin slapped his face in frustration.

"Sorry guys, this isn't exactly my strong suit," Keith said apologetically.

"Okay then, well we've got the masked guy up next," Chris said as the masked boy picked up a bat.

Ilona threw the ball and the masked boy swung with precision. The ball soared over Ilona and got caught in one of the trees.

"I got this," Misha exclaimed as she began scaling the tree.

Calvin and Stanley were both running to their targets while the masked boy left home plate. Misha knew she had to act fast if she wanted to stop them in time. She swung up the tree and grabbed onto the ball. From her height she saw Calvin headed for home plate.

"Desdemona!" she cried as she tossed the ball.

Desdemona reached out to grab it. But it was too late, Calvin had already arrived at home plate. Stanley meanwhile was on third now while the masked boy had reached first.

"Monster Mountains tie the game with two points," Chris said. "If they can get one more point then they automatically win."

"Okay, guys," Misha said in a hushed voice to anyone around. "We need to catch a fly ball this time. Stanley is fast, but this is their last batter. If we can get her out before Stanley has a chance to run, we'll end the game on a tie."

Misha received a few affirmative signals.

"Lastly, it's Matilda," Chris declared as Matilda stepped up to bat.

"Okay, like, I can do this," Matilda said.

Ilona pitched a ball and Matilda swung awkwardly. She missed.

"That's strike one," Chris said.

"Okay, alright, I've still got, like, two more," Matilda said.

Ilona tossed again and Matilda swung with force. She missed again.

"Darn it," she pouted.

"Strike two," Chris said. "Just one more."

"Come on," Calvin shouted at Matilda.

Ilona tossed again and Matilda swung desperately. This time she managed to hit it. The ball shot up into the air and headed straight down for Riley.

"Catch it, catch it, catch it!" Misha exclaimed.

Matilda headed for first base, all eyes were on Stanley running home plate. Riley held out his mitt. Then the ball fell down right next to him. Misha rushed over to it and tossed the ball. But it was already too late, Stanley had reached home plate.

"And the Monster Mountains win!" Chris exclaimed. "Congratulations."

The team cheered, except for Pamela who just brooded to herself.

"And, Raging Rivers, as for you, I'll be seeing you at the Dock of Shame tonight," Chris said. "You may return to your camp first, though, and discuss who you want to vote for."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Perhaps I went a little overboard against my persona, but it was necessary to prove my capabilities.

**Keith-**I've said it before, but brute force isn't my strength. Though we're not going to elimination tonight so, I don't need to worry about it.

**Desdemona-**Well, looks like it's up to me to work out a miracle.

**Riley-**Meh, I'm not worried. I'm sure something will work itself out for me.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"We were, like, so super amazing today!" Matilda exclaimed to her team. "Especially you, Jojo, you were, like, awesomesauce athlete."

"Well, I can't argue with that," Jojo said as they returned to the shelter.

"The, like, only downside is that now we have to put up with Pamela for, like, a whole nother day," Matilda sighed.

"That's just one more day to break her," Calvin said. "I'd like to see her fall to her knees and beg for mercy before we vote her out of here."

"Ha, that'll be hilarious," Jojo laughed.

Meanwhile, Pamela had once again found a place to herself in the forest. Or she thought it was all to herself, but it didn't take long for the masked boy to find her. He didn't say anything at first, he just sat down next to her.

"What?" Pamela asked breaking the silence.

"I just couldn't help but notice that you really lost it at Chelsea today," the masked boy said. "What was that all about?"

"Bleh, she was making a big scene and trying to broadcast that she 'likes' Jojo," Pamela scoffed. "It's just stupid. Love doesn't exist, and especially not between stupid teenagers. But they always pretend that it won't end in heartbreak. They always act so dumb at first and pretend that this is a magical true love."

"What happened to you?" the masked boy.

"He was just some dumb crush," she said. "Just some friend who I thought might be special. Who I thought might be different from all the others in my life."

Pamela sighed and was silent for a while.

"I never did fit in," she said. "Not even in Kindergarten, I was always on the outside. So feeling what I thought was true love…was something amazing."

She took another deep pause.

"But he went off and slept with some blond," she spat acidly.

"I'm sorry," the masked boy said.

"Don't be," Pamela said. "That was just the first thing I really noticed. But after that I started to see how common is could be in all humans. They are slaves to desire and selfish wants. Everyone is. No matter how innocent and perfect they may seem. I'm done having hope."

"I," the masked boy tried to say.

"I said I'm done!" Pamela snapped. "Leave me alone. Get out of here!"

From the trees, Keith watched down at them curiously.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Very interesting indeed. That masked boy seems like he might actually have a connection with Pamela. He's smarter than I first thought, he may be a threat.

**Pamela-**Why did I say all that stuff?! None of that matters. What matters is that everyone is evil and I hate them for it.

**Masked Boy-**I want to help Pamela, but I really think that I may be in over my head here.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Ilona, Chelsea, Misha, and Garfield were all meeting in the shelter.

"I think it's clear who needs to go," Ilona said. "Riley. He didn't help us at all during the challenge, and he's not even making an effort to be of any use. Once he's gone our team will be stronger."

"That's a possibility," Chelsea said. "But I really don't feel comfortable with Elijah around."

"At least he's working," Ilona said. "With him gone our team would lose strength and keep a waste of space."

"But he's so creepy," Chelsea insisted. "I'm always on alert when he's around. I can't wash my clothes or anything."

"Then there's Desdemona's prophecy," Garfield added. "I don't know how trustworthy it is, but she seems convinced."

"Yeah there's that," Chelsea shrugged. "But there's also the fact that he could be watching you at any time. He could be watching us right now."

"He is," Misha said as she pointed to an eye peeking through a hole in the wall.

"Beat it, Elijah," Chelsea said as she poked his eye through the hole.

"I'm not changing my mind," Ilona said. "Riley needs to go."

"Fine, what about you, Misha?" Chelsea asked.

"Well…" Misha said uncertainly.

"In fact, you don't even have to answer right now," Chelsea said. "I trust that you'll make the right decision."

As Ilona left the shelter with Misha, she spotted Elijah.

"Hey, you," she called.

"Yes!" Elijah said eagerly. "What's up? Finally decided how much you lust after me?"

"No," Ilona answered bluntly. "I still don't like you, but I'm willing to tolerate you. And you should know that Chelsea is planning on voting you out. If you want to stay, I suggest that you vote for Riley."

"Your wish is my command, ma'am," Elijah declared.

He didn't have to take three more steps before he was grabbed by Desdemona.

"Just the guy I was looking for," she said as she pulled him in close with Riley. "Alright, listen boys, I have a proposition for you."

"Is this going to involve thinking," Riley whined.

"Just shut up and listen to me," Desdemona said. "You've already done enough damage to your chances."

"So, what kind of proposition is this?" Elijah asked. "Is it the fun kind?"

"It's the kind where we vote together," Desdemona said. "I suggest that the three of us vote out Garfield. I have seen that he may be an obstacle for everyone on this team."

"Really?" Riley asked.

"Oh yeah, he's making you two look bad," Desdemona said. "And just think, Elijah, once he's gone you'll be the most eligible man on the team. No offense, Riley, but no girl would want you."

"None taken, I get that a lot," Riley said.

"So, what do you say?" Desdemona asked. "Can we take him out?"

"I may have to think on it," Elijah said.

"I don't like thinking," Riley sighed.

"Look, just say, 'yes,' okay?" Desemona said.

"Yes," both of them repeated.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**Well, looks like I'm the swing vote today. Hm, what to do?

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

"Raging Rivers," Chris greeted. "Welcome to your first elimination as a new team."

The team grouped around the dock with Riley bringing up the rear.

"You started out pretty good, but it seems like you might not be as unstoppable as you first thought," Chris said. "Anyways, let's get on with it…I've got a pinecone for Desdemona!"

Desdemona caught her pinecone with a slight smile.

"Ilona."

"Misha."

"Chelsea."

This left Elijah, Garfield, and Riley without pinecones.

"Well, looks like it's the men who are in trouble," Chris said. "All three of you received at least one vote."

Chelsea gasped as she looked at Garfield.

"Don't worry, Chelsea," Chris said. "Garfield gets the next pinecone."

Elijah and Riley looked at each other. Elijah was starting to get nervous while Riley remained drowsy.

"The final pinecone of the night goes to," Chris concluded. "…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Elijah!"

Riley collapsed on the ground.

"Yes, I know it's shocking, Riley," Chris said.

"Chris, I don't think he passed out," Desdemona said. "I think he just fell asleep."

"Oh…well, somebody load him onto the Spring of Shame," Chris said.

Desdemona and Elijah lifted Riley and dropped him on the edge of the dock.

"Any last words, Riley?" Chris asked.

Riley snorted in his sleep.

"Alright, farewell," Chris said as he launched into the air. "As for the rest of you, you may return to your camp."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I can't believe that somebody actually voted for Garfield. That's horrible!

**Desdemona-**Well, that didn't go as planned. Miracles are harder to pull off than I thought.

**Ilona-**Riley will not be missed.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The masked boy had left behind Pamela and was now on his way back to the shelter. He was stopped when Keith leapt down in front of him.

"Hello," Keith said.

"Hi," the masked boy replied.

"I just thought that I might get to know you a little better," Keith said. "I don't even know your name."

"No one does," the masked boy said. "I prefer to keep my identity a secret."

"And why's that?" Keith asked. "What horrible secret are you hiding?"

"It's just necessary, okay," the masked boy insisted. "Just try to understand, it's important than I not let it get out."

"Whatever you say," Keith said with a shrug.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**He seems clever, but he's given me the key to his defeat.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Well, this is a bad sign for us," Desdemona exclaimed with her dramatic flair. "We shall never unleash Riley's true strength that could carry us all."

"There is no way that you would have done anything but weigh us down," Ilona insisted.

"If it makes you feel any better, I didn't vote for him," Chelsea said as she walked next to Desdemona.

"Well, it's nice to know that someone listens to my prophecies," Desdemona said. "I'll be sure to let you know the next time I have one."

"We will be sure to consider it," Garfield said.

"Hang on a second," Desdemona said. "If you didn't vote for Riley, then that means…"

"I voted for Riley," Elijah said as he rushed over to Ilona. "Just like you wanted. What's my reward?"

"Your reward is having a stronger team," Ilona declared.

"That's no fun," Elijah pouted. "I was thinking maybe a kiss."

"Uh, no," Ilona replied.

"Well, how many people will I have to vote off to get one?" Elijah asked.

"Good night, Elijah," Ilona said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**If there's a bright side, it's that I don't have to worry about my Riley prophecy coming true. And maybe I still might be able to manipulate Chelsea and Garfield.

**Elijah-**Let's look at my options. Chelsea tried to vote me out, Ilona isn't giving me anything, and Desdemona's just weird. I might have to re-evaluate them tonight.

**Chelsea-**I'll listen to what Desdemona has to say, but that doesn't mean I'll take it any more seriously. Elijah still bugs me and I still want him gone.

**Votes:**

**Ilona-**No question about it. Riley, you are useless.

**Garfield-**Elijah seems to be really upsetting Chelsea. He is no gentleman.

**Misha-**Riley blew it today. I don't want him holding us back anymore.

**Desemona-**With Garfield gone I might be able to seize the majority.

**Chelsea-**Elijah, you are a creep.

**Elijah-**I think between the two of them I'd rather score with Ilona. So, I'm voting for Riley.

**Riley-**Garfield…I guess.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And so Riley is gone," Chris said. "He was doomed from the start, really. With schemes really starting to cook, who knows who will be eliminated next? Will Desdemona succeed in eliminating her targets, or we she get herself eliminated? Will Pamela crumble under Calvin, or will she join Stanley against him? And what has Keith got in store for everyone? Be sure to come back for more on the next Total…Drama…Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"Welcome back," Esme said as a bruised Sasha returned. "Did you have any luck?"

"That temple holds a firm defense," Sasha said. "But Lady Sasha shall not falter. The temple shall crumble to the ground once I am finished with it."

"Someone's incoming," Rusty announced.

Right on cue, Riley tumbled into the sand asleep. Sasha ran over to him and poked him with a stick.

"Alright!" Riley exclaimed as he woke up. "I'm finally on Playa Des Losers!"

"Guess again," Shannon scoffed as she applied makeup to her face. "Read the sign."

"Huh," Riley said as he looked at the sign. "No! It's not fair."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**I don't even want to go back. Can't Chris just let me relax at Playa Des Losers for the rest of my summer?

**Rusty-**And another loser who belongs right here. So far, I'm the only one with any real skill or chance at returning at all. A ha ha ha…Hm, I really need to work on that laugh.

_Author's Note: What is there to say about Riley? He was incredibly lucky to be on the same team as Rusty, otherwise he would have gone much earlier. Well, he's gone now. Be sure to review and let me know what you thought!_


	13. Behind The Mask

"Last time on Total Drama Stranded," Chris narrated, "we played some good old-fashioned baseball. Jojo was eager to show off his skills and made a powerful threat to the Raging Rivers. Misha was also set to prove herself to her new team and was one of the driving forces behind their performance. Also involved were an outburst from Pamela and a serious lack of effort from Riley. The Rivers went to elimination, although this proved that there was somewhat of a power struggle between them. The two leaders, Chelsea and Ilona, had different ideas on who to eliminate, while schemer, Desdemona, had plans of her own. In the end, Elijah became the swing vote and chose to side with Ilona. This led to Riley's elimination. Someone new will be leaving tonight, but will it be River or Mountain? Find out now on Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

While nearly everyone was asleep, Sasha was pacing eagerly.

"That temple shall not continue to resist my force," she declared to herself. "I will persevere against it!"

"I do not see why you seek danger so willingly," Esme said as she appeared behind Sasha.

Sasha ignored her and said, "If I can't get back through the door, perhaps I shall have to go under."

She scooped up a smooth piece of wood.

"This shall be of use," she said. "Now, all I need is a squire. Who has what it takes to join my quest?"

The other eliminated contestants were just starting to get up and we're still tired.

"Nah," Shannon said.

"Nope," Jason said.

"No way," Rusty scoffed.

"What about you?" Sasha asked as she poked the sleeping Riley.

"Meh…not now," Riley replied without getting home.

"There could be all sorts of treasure hidden there," Sasha insisted. "Included the enchanted idols."

"You know, maybe I will go," Rusty said.

"Excellent!" Sasha exclaimed as she tossed the stick to Rusty. "You may be tasked with carrying my spade, Squire."

Sasha guided Rusty through the jungle and to the ancient temple.

"Here it is," Sasha exclaimed. "Squire, hand me my spade."

"Here you go, "Rusty said unenthusiastically.

"Time to meet your match, temple!" Sasha exclaimed as she began shovelling through the dirt.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**It's all part of my strategy. The less people who know I found one of the idols, the better. So if I look like I'm still desperately searching for one, no one will suspect a thing about me.

**Sasha-**Sir Rusty is not nearly as noble a squire as my last, but perhaps he will improve in time.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Keith was perched on a tree like an owl. He had long since awoken, and was now eyeing the shelter, waiting for the masked boy to emerge. Eventually the boy left the shelter and walked through the forest. Keith moved silently from tree to tree as he followed the boy. He never let him leave his sight. The boy soon stopped at bush and plucked a handful of berries. He peeled his mask off, just enough to reveal his mouth and swallow the food.

"Good morning," Keith greeted as he slid down the tree.

The masked boy quickly covered up his face as he turned around.

"Hello," the masked boy said.

"I was just thinking that you must be feeling a little isolated after the team switch," Keith said. "Perhaps you could use an alliance."

"Perhaps I could," the masked boy said, "and I would appreciate your help. But can I trust you?"

"Can you trust anyone in this game?" Keith retorted.

"I suppose you have a point," the masked boy said. "I'll consider your offer."

"Thank you," Keith said before departing.

He then left the forest and went out into the clearing. He spotted Calvin and his team in their shelter.

"Greetings," he said. "I brought breakfast."

He reached into his pockets and revealed several handfuls of berries and mushrooms.

"I miss the fish," Matilda sighed.

"Hey, I'm the one who should be complaining," Jojo replied. "I haven't gotten any meat my whole stay here."

"Well, guys, I was thinking that we could discuss a little strategy," Keith said. "I believe that the masked boy needs to go."

"Nope, we've already agree on Pamela," Jojo said. "That girl's nuts."

"But she's predictable," Keith replied. "With the masked guy you don't know what he's thinking."

"The masked guy is, like, kinda weird, but he's like totally not as bad as Pamela," Matilda said. "She is like, soooo sooooo mean."

"Very well, I can see that you've got your minds set," Keith said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Masked Boy-**I've been thrown into a new environment and I don't know who I can trust and who I can't. I'd prefer to stick by myself until I know for sure. If people start asking questions about my identity, it could lead to trouble for me. Like when Pamela pretended to recognize my voice, I thought it was all over then.

**Keith-**The masked guy is smart, and seems pretty fit. He is by far the biggest threat on this team, and I need to get him out of the way. He said that if his identity was revealed, it would destroy his chance. Well, then I guess I know what I have to do.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Ilona was going for her routine jog, but she soon found that she was not alone.

"Good morning," Chelsea said as she jogged up to her. "What are you up to?"

"Just trying to get ready for whatever Chris throws us at us today," Ilona answered.

"Good idea," Chelsea agreed. "Mind if I join you? I've got to be in my best shape as well."

"Not a problem," Ilona replied.

The two ran through the trees for a while, then Ilona broke the silence, "I hope you can forgive me for ignoring your decision last night. You're clearly the leader of this tribe and I should have been more respectful."

"No, no," Chelsea replied. "I wouldn't say I'm the leader, exactly, I just try to do what I can for the team. Besides, we can always vote out Elijah next time we go to elimination."

"If there is a next time," Ilona said. "I think our team is pretty strong now and hopefully we can avoid losing for some time."

"Well, that would be nice," Chelsea replied.

Meanwhile, Garfield was about to go through his routine of catching fish.

"Perhaps you could help me again," he said to Elijah. "You know, I haven't had much of a chance to make any guy friends on this team."

"Sure, I'll go," Elijah said. "The ladies seem to like you. What's you secret?"

"Secret? I don't have a secret," Garfield laughed. "I try to be nice and polite."

"I'm nice," Elijah insisted.

"Well…if you say so," Garfield replied.

Desdemona woke to find that nearly everyone was paired off with someone else. The only person still alone was Misha.

"Good morning," Desdemona said as she sat down next to her.

"Hi," Misha replied.

"So…want to pick a card?" Desdemona asked as she held up a deck.

Misha grabbed a card and turned it around.

"Queen of clubs," Misha declared. "What does that mean?"

"I means…" Desdemona paused to think, "…that you are a wonderful person."

"Oh…thank you, I guess," Misha replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Sometimes subtlety is required. I've already lost Riley, so now I need to slowly work Misha over to my side.

**Misha-**Desdemona is a little loopy. But at least she's slightly less patronizing than the other girls.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Stanley had finished eating his meager breakfast and ran into the masked boy as he walked out of the woods.

"Oh, hey there," he said.

"Yeah?" the masked boy asked.

"Look, I just wanted to say that you can count on me as a friend," Stanley said. "I noticed that you like to be alone, but you may need some support in the near future."

"Thank you," the masked boy replied.

"Get away from him!" Jojo cried.

He then charged out and tackled Stanley to the ground.

"I just saved your life," Jojo declared to the masked boy.

"What are you talking about?" the masked boy asked.

"You're new to this team, so you probably don't know, but he's gay," Jojo declared. "And he was getting dangerously close to you. It's a good thing that I showed up when I did."

"Oh Jojo," Stanley laughed as he sat up, "you should know that I only have eyes for you."

"Here, take him!" Jojo cried as he shoved the masked boy on top of Stanley. "Just leave me alone."

Once he was gone, Stanley remarked, "That should give you a good idea on what that alliance is like."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Masked Boy-**I'd rather not have to think about who I'm voting with unless it's necessary. And I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that we don't go to elimination.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

The team gathered around for breakfast. Chelsea and Ilona emerged from the forest to sit down around the fire.

"Good morning, girls," Elijah said with a smile. "You look lovely today…in case you didn't notice, I'm being nice."

Both girls stared at him skeptically.

"I'll give you a B- for effort," Chelsea said. "And that's pushing it."

"Well, that's something," Garfield said supportively to Elijah.

"So, team, even though we lost the last challenge, do you think we can pull it together?" Chelsea asked enthusiastically.

"We're going to have to really give it all our effort," Misha said. "We can't have people holding us back."

"I believe we should listen to this one," Desdemona said. "She has a strong soul."

"I think that we're all ready to give all we have," Ilona said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Finally, some recognition. Too bad it's coming from the team weirdo.

**Garfield-**Elijah doesn't seem like that too bad of a person, he's just a little too eager when it comes to girls. Assuming he doesn't get himself voted off, I'll try to help him with that.

**Elijah-**"Be nice"? Yeah, that didn't work. Girls always go for the bad boy…unless it's Garfield…arg, this is confusing.

* * *

"It's challenge time, campers!" Chris's voice blared. "Meet me on the other side of the waterfall. You'll know when you get there."

The two teams departed from their camps. The Raging Rivers travelled uphill, while the Monster Mountains climbed down. Both of them arrived and stared in shock. Towering over them was a massive stone castle. It looked old, yet still strong and firm. Most noticeable were two towers that shot up to the sky.

"Ta-da!" Chris exclaimed as he exited the castle. "What do you think?"

"How is this not breaking the Stranded theme?" Stanley asked.

"Well, it's not like we're keeping it here," Chris scoffed. "It'll be flown back to Scotland by the end of the day."

"So, what's the challenge?" Calvin asked.

"Three members of each team will be racing to the top," Chris explained. "You'll notice that there are two towers: One for each of you."

"And what are the others going to be doing?" Chelsea asked.

"The three remaining Rivers, and four Mountains," Chris continued, "will be responsible for slowing down their opponents. If you looked to the side you'll see a couple of ladders. You'll be able to get ahead of the others and use whatever traps you can find to your advantage. The first team to get all three of their racers to the top wins immunity. You may now decide who will be running."

"Me, obviously," Jojo said instantly.

"Alright, who else?" Calvin asked.

"I'll go," the masked boy volunteered.

"Are you sure?" Jojo asked. "You don't look like much."

"Maybe not compared to you, but I can run," the masked boy said.

"I'll go too," Keith added.

"You really don't look like much," Jojo scoffed.

"True, when it comes to brute strength I'm a little lacking," Keith admitted. "But I think I've already prove that I can be quick on my feet."

"I guess that leaves the rest of us for the top," Stanley said.

"Great, I can inflict more pain on those others," Pamela said.

"Oh that's like, so not pleasant," Matilda cringed. "Can't we just say…I, like, actually can't think of a nice way to, you know, say that."

"What about you, Rivers?" Chris asked.

"Me!" Ilona, Chelsea, and Misha all said in unison.

"Well, that was easy," Chris said. "Garfield, Elijah, and Desdemona, you'll be on the top."

"Well, looks like you won't have to worry about the other girls about stealing my attention," Elijah said to Desdemona.

Garfield nudged him with his foot.

"I mean…I look forward to working with…such a nice person as yourself," Elijah corrected.

"Alright guys, this way to the ladders," Chris directed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**The real reason I wanted to run was so I could stick with that masked boy. It's time to remove him as a threat.

**Jojo-**Those other two had better not slow me down. I'm all about winning, and that's what I plan to do.

**Chelsea-**I feel bad for Desdemona getting stuck with Elijah. Hopefully Garfield will keep her safe.

**Elijah-**Let's see, Garfield says that I have to be nice, which doesn't seem to be working for me, but it works for him. However, Desdemona doesn't seem to like him as much as Chelsea does, so for her it's opposite which means…ow my head hurts.

* * *

(Raging Rivers Tower)

Garfield, Elijah, and Desdemona had climbed the ladder and had entered a full storage room.

"Wow, they've got everything here," Garfield exclaimed. "Pots full of oil, crates full of glue, bags full of marbles, every kind of trap imaginable."

Elijah meanwhile was looking out the door.

"Whoa, that's a dizzy sight," he remarked.

The door overlooked the path that the racers would be taking. It involved several flights of incredibly steep steps that spiraled around the tower.

"And check this out," Garfield said as he opened another door.

This one led to a much more natural staircase. The two boys walked down it to see where it led. They arrived at a balcony overlooking a different part of tower.

"This could be useful," Elijah said. "We can travel around the tower and set traps way faster than they can move."

"And it keeps going," Garfield noted. "Which means that it probably covers several points throughout the course."

The two boys returned to the storage room where Desdemona was still examining their resources.

"Hm, this could be useful…and this," she murmured. "Hm, rope and ball thingy, I don't see this being too useful."

She tossed the weapon behind herself where it head Elijah and wrapped around him.

"Oh, so you're one of those girls into ropes," Elijah remarked. "That's cool, I can get into that."

"You're so funny," Desdemona said dryly as she untied him.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Elijah is pretty good looking, so it's not too hard to act like I like him. And he may be the deciding vote in keeping me safe.

* * *

(Monster Mountains Tower)

This team was having a similar discovery in their tower.

"These stairs definitely don't make it easy to run," Calvin remarked as he tried out one of the flights. "And we'll be able to make it even harder with a few traps here and there."

"Look at me, I'm Donkey Kong," Stanley laughed as he lifted up a barrel and shook it over the balcony.

"You look ridiculous," Pamela scoffed from behind him.

"Hey, it's a good idea," Stanley protested. "We roll some barrels down at them and make it even harder for them to get up the stairs quickly."

"Especially when I poor some of this oil over the steps," Calvin added as he held up a clay pot.

Matilda meanwhile, had something else attract her interest while she explored the upper vantage point.

"I, like, wonder what this switch does," she said to herself as she pulled a lever.

Suddenly, the floor around Calvin slid away to reveal a chute.

"Aaaah!" Calvin cried as he tumbled down.

"Oops, I'm, like, so so sorry," Matilda apologized. "Maybe if it put it back up, like, an elevator will come up, or something."

She put the lever back into its original position. However, this only sealed the panel back up.

"Hm, that's no good," Matilda muttered. "Maybe if I, like, put it down again."

The panel again opened.

"I'll help him up," Stanley said as he grabbed a rope. "I may not like him, but at least he's doing something."

He glared at Pamela.

"Oh, right, now it's perfectly fine to promote violence," Pamela scoffed. "Just so long as you get a reward for it, violence is fine, if not then I'm being psychotic. Is that how it works?"

"You really need to learn to, like, stop talking," Matilda said.

"Try following your own advice," Pamela retorted.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Yeah, I'm perfectly fine with being as aggressive as I want with these guys. But it still sickens me how hypocritical they all are.

**Matilda-**Pamela is, like, the worst person ever. I can't wait till, like, we vote her out.

* * *

(Monster Mountains, Racers)

"Alright, guys, it's time to begin," Chris exclaimed.

"Let's do this!" Jojo exclaimed as he charged ahead.

"Wait up," the masked boy called.

"No way, you two need to speed up," Jojo said.

The jock soon found that there was something off about the floor. It was at a slope, meaning that he could easily lose his balance. He slipped slightly, but managed to regain himself. He then came to the first flight of stairs, which were even more sloped.

"Well, there's no way we're catching up with him," Keith remarked as Jojo disappeared up the spiraling staircase.

"We still need to move quickly, though," the masked boy said. "We all need to reach the top before it counts."

Meanwhile, the Raging Rivers were getting ready with their traps.

"Alright, Garfield," Desdemona said as they stood on the balcony. "When the first guy comes by, you cover him in glue. Elijah and I are going to waiting higher up to get ready for the next trap."

"Got it," Garfield said as he lifted up a crate of glue.

Desdemona rushed back up the regular stairs to meet Elijah. Garfield held the crate over the edge waiting for someone to show up. Unfortunately, the first one to arrive was Jojo moving at incredible speed. By the time, Garfield released the crate, he had already passed under the balcony.

"Gonna have to do better than that," Jojo laughed.

By this time, Desdemona had reached the next balcony where Elijah was waiting.

"Okay, time for Plan B," she exclaimed.

"There's a Plan B?" Elijah asked.

"There is now," Desdemona replied as she grabbed a pile of sticks and tossed them over the edge.

Jojo stumbled and fell down, but dropped his hands and steadied himself before he rolled back down the stairs. He then kept running.

"Well, that bought us about two second," Desdemona sighed.

Keith and the masked boy were both arriving underneath the first balcony by now. The masked boy was sprinting as fast as he could, and didn't realize that he had stepped in glue.

"I can't move," he exclaimed as he saw that he was stuck.

"It's a trap!" Keith cried.

"Sorry, boys," Garfield said as he prepared to drop another crate over them.

Keith acted quickly and pulled the masked boy out of the way. More glue poured down and splashed them, but they were far enough out of the way.

"Well, we're going to have to go around this mess carefully," the masked boy said. "That'll lose us some time, unfortunately."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**Of course Desdemona would have a Plan B. She's psychic, she probably knew that was going to happen…now the only question is, why didn't she know that it wasn't going to work?

**Keith-**I've got a plan coming together. By the end of the day, it'll be game over for the masked guy.

**Jojo-**Can't stop me! I'm like The Flash and The Hulk all rolled into one.

* * *

(Raging Rivers, Racers)

"Ladies, you're off!" Chris said immediately after he sent the Mountains off.

"Let's do this!" Chelsea exclaimed as they took off.

The three girls were able to maintain nearly equal speeds. Ilona took the lead, but Chelsea and Misha had no trouble keeping up behind her.

"Here, they come!" Stanley said from the top of the first flight of steps. "Ready, aim, fire!"

Suddenly a barrage of barrels came tumbling down the steps.

"I'm really sorry, guys," Matilda said. "I hope you don't get hurt, like, badly or anything."

"Just enough to keep them from winning," Pamela sneered.

"Like, shut up!" Matilda snapped.

The barrels proved to be no big challenge for the girls. Skillfully they weaved between the oncoming barrels.

"We made it!" Ilona exclaimed as they reached the final steps.

"That's what you think," Calvin said as he dumped oil over the steps.

Suddenly Ilona lost her balance and tumbled backwards. She knocked over Chelsea and Misha rolled back down to the bottom of the steps.

"That worked out beautifully," Calvin cackled. "Come on, let's move ahead."

He pulled himself back up onto the balcony.

"Again, sorry," Matilda called back down at the girls. "If you broke any bones, just, like, keep in mind that that isn't what I hoped for, or anything."

"Because that makes it so much better," Pamela scoffed.

Matilda angrily kicked her back off the balcony.

"There it is again," Pamela cried as she feigned surprise. "Violence is fine as long as it's against me."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**That was a dirty trick, but I shouldn't be surprised, it's Calvin.

**Chelsea-**Okay, maybe we're not off to the biggest start, but I still think we can do this.

**Calvin-**Ha, I'm so glad I got to do that to Ilona after how she acted around me. I don't have anything against the other two, but they're the enemy and that's good enough for me.

* * *

(Raging Rivers, Tower)

Desdemona had entered another one of the storage rooms to find something to stop Jojo.

"There's got to be something here that'll stop him," she said as she searched through the boxes.

"Hey, check out this," Elijah exclaimed as he held up a large water pistol.

"Great, you help Garfield keep the others busy," Desdemona said. "I'll take care of the big guy."

Desdemona left the storage room and continued to ascend the stairs. By the time she reached the next balcony she was out of breath, but she arrived just in time to see Jojo make his way up the next flight.

"Not so fast," she exclaimed. "Take this!"

She tossed a tarp over Jojo, who just shoved it aside.

"Is that seriously all you got?" he laughed.

"No!" Desdemona pouted. "Just…give me a second."

Jojo continued along the path, and soon came to something different. The path led him outside and along the edge of the tower. It spiral along the outside wall and back inside at the next storey.

"Alright, now it's getting interesting," he exclaimed.

Desdemona tried to follow after him, but reconsidered when she got outside. The wind whipped at her hair and dress, and one look down was enough to send her back inside.

"I'll get you…later," she exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Keith and the masked boy were making steady progress up the stairs.

"Garfield, use this," Elijah exclaimed as he tossed the water pistol to the other boy.

Garfield aimed and sprayed the two boys with water. This caused the masked boy to slip and stumble over Keith.

"Well, that's another setback," Keith sighed as they regained themselves.

* * *

**Confessional: **

**Desdemona-**I can't let us lose again. If we do, I'm pretty much guaranteed to lose whatever shot I have left.

**Garfield-**I don't much care for all this aggression in the challenges, but hopefully those boys will understand that I was just doing my job.

* * *

(Raging Rivers, Racers)

The three girls had made their up the first flight by now and were going around another sloped hallway.

"Now, this is Calvin we're dealing with," Ilona cautioned. "We're going to have to be prepared for any more dirty tricks."

"Surprise!" Calvin exclaimed as he jumped in front of the girls.

He then dropped a bag a released a collection of marbles. While the marbles did make walking more difficult, it didn't impede the girls' progress.

"What? No, that was supposed to work," Calvin pouted. "Somebody do something!"

"On it!" Matilda exclaimed.

Suddenly, Calvin shot down through another chute.

"Oh, is that where it opens?" Matilda said apologetically as she leaned over the edge of the balcony.

"Thank you, Matilda," Chelsea laughed as they began making their way up the next staircase.

"You're welcome!" Matilda replied. "Even though that was, like, totally unintentional."

"Well, looks like it's up to us to stop them," Stanley said to Matilda and Pamela.

"Don't look at me," Pamela said. "You guys are doing a fine job at screwing up as it is."

"Fine, it's up to me," Stanley sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

He then took off up the stairs.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**Sometimes life really isn't fair. I need Pamela on my side to survive, yet she makes it really easy for me to hate her.

**Pamela-**I really don't care what happens one way or another. I hate people on both teams and I'd be just as satisfied seeing either one of them disappointed.

* * *

(Monster Mountains, Racers)

Jojo pulled himself up the final step and climbed back into the castle.

"I've gotta be getting close now," he said to himself.

"You're going to have to get through me first," Desdemona declared.

The girl was just standing on the path in front of Jojo. She had positioned herself right on the edge of where the wall curved.

"Out of the way," Jojo orderd.

"You'll have to make me move," Desdemona challenge.

"Fine, I have no problem with that," Jojo said as he charged at her.

Desdemona stepped aside just in time to reveal an open door. Jojo couldn't stop and crashed right into. Desdemona slammed it shut and pushed herself against the door.

"This won't stop," Jojo declared as he slammed his body against the door. "You can't keep me in here forever."

"But maybe I can keep you in there long enough to win the challenge," Desdemona said.

Meanwhile, Keith and the masked boy were beginning their ascent on the outside.

"It sure is windy out here," Keith said nervously. "I'd hate to fall from here."

"Just keep calm," the masked boy said. "It's only a short distance."

They began to climb up the steps and make their way to the next storey. About half way up, Elijah arrived.

"There they are!" he exclaimed as he wielded the water pistol now.

He fired at them and caused Keith to lose his balance. The boy panicked as he swung backwards and fell over the edge. He was only barely able to cling onto the edge.

"Oh," Elijah muttered as he looked guilty.

"Help me!" Keith cried. "I'm gonna fall!"

"Grab my hand," the masked boy said as he leaned over him.

Keith was frantic as he grabbed onto the masked boy's arm. He pulled the boy closer over the edge.

"Just hang on," the masked boy said. "I'm going to try and pull you up."

Keith's other hand slipped off the edge and he begun flinging it in a panic. In desperation he grabbed onto the other boy's masked. The masked boy flinched in surprise, and the mask was pulled off. Keith was looking at an actual face now. The boy had pointed features and chestnut eyes. He had smooth black hair that spiked down his face.

"I've got you," he said as he lifted Keith back onto the step. "Where's my mask?"

"I'm so sorry," Keith apologized. "I dropped it."

It was then that Garfield arrived.

"Elijah told me what happened," he said. "Are you alright?"

It was then that he spotted the boy without his mask.

"Timothy?" he gasped.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**It's kinda ironic how we have all these closets full of traps, and yet it's an ordinary closet that caught Jojo.

**Masked Boy-**(unmasked) No! This cannot happen. My game will be ruined.

**Garfield-**I don't believe what I just saw.

**Keith-**Yeah, that was acting. I have perfect balance and could have pulled myself up at any time. But it looks like our masked friend has been revealed.

* * *

(Monster Mountains, Tower)

"Matilda, did you see any more of those switches?" Stanley asked.

"Oh yeah," Matilda replied. "There's, like, a whole room filled with them."

While the Raging Rivers were making fast progress up the tower, Matilda guided Stanley to a chamber on the side of one of the lookout points. The room had several levers, buttons, and knobs attached to the walls.

"Okay, you use those," Stanley said. "I'll be watching out here to see if anything happens."

Matilda began pulling levers and pushing buttons as the Rivers ran by. Suddenly blocks started jutting out of the floor and walls. Chelsea stumbled over, but was caught by Ilona.

"That's good, keep it up!" Stanley exclaimed.

Matilda continued to fiddle with the traps. Panels sunk into the ground and walls slid out into the middle of the course.

"Keep focused," Ilona said as her leg was caught in a dip in the floor.

She pulled herself up and continued.

"Maybe we should slow down, just a bit," Chelsea suggested. "So we can be prepared for what comes next."

The three girls slowed down, while still maintaining a strong pace. They were able to step aside and move around the majority of the traps.

"Okay, I'm putting a stop to this sad attempt," Pamela told Stanley. "I don't need traps to take down these three."

"Um…okay?" Stanley said uncertainly.

Pamela ran up the stairs to the next lookout point. The girls were nearing the top now.

"Hold it right there!" Pamela exclaimed as she swung down and kicked Ilona aside. "You're going to have to go through me if you want to go any further."

With that she shoved Chelsea back down the stairs. Misha reacted quickly and rolled to the side, dodging Pamela.

"Don't you try that sweet innocent girl act on me," Pamela said. "It's not going to work."

Ilona recovered and tried to grab Pamela, but the other girl saw her coming and knocked her right back down. Misha made to doge, but at the last minute dived at Pamela. She grabbed onto her leg and caused her to stumble backwards. Pamela bumped into Chelsea who shoved her right back down the stairs.

"Yeah, that' s right, don't mess with us," Chelsea said. "We showed her."

"Right, but we have to keep moving," Misha said. "We don't know how much time we have left."

Ilona got up and agreed. The three girls continued to run.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Ugh, I hate all of them so much. Chelsea thinks she's the best because she's a popular cheerleader, and Misha acts sweet when it's clear that she's not. I don't know Ilona, but I'm sure she's awful too.

**Chelsea-**Misha can be pretty tough when she wants to. It's so cute.

* * *

(Monster Mountains, Racers)

"Timothy, is that you?" Garfield asked. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?!" the other boy snapped.

Everyone had made it to the next level, but had paused to clear up the mess.

"I'm in a race," the boy said. "And I need to get back to doing that."

"Wait!" Garfield cried. "This doesn't make any sense. All this time, the masked guy was my brother? Why are you doing this?"

"Use your head!" the boy snapped. "What always happens when I try to do anything? I get compared to you. 'Timothy' is just Garfield-Stuart's brother, and I'm sick of that!"

"But?" Garfield mumbled.

"Like I said, I'm in a race," Timothy barked. "Get out of my way!"

Timothy ran past Garfield and Keith rushed after him.

"Your brother?" Keith asked in confusion.

"Forget it," Timothy grumbled. "I don't want to be affiliated with him. He's so perfect and everyone loves him. I want to win something without that hanging over my name."

"Say no more," Keith said. "I completely understand."

Jojo meanwhile was wearing down the door, as well as Desdemona's strength. With a final shove he broke it down and knocked her aside.

"Now it's time to win this thing!" he exclaimed.

"Oh no you don't!" Desdemona retorted.

She then turned around to see Keith, and some boy she didn't recognize, approaching.

"Think fast, think fast," she chanted to herself as she struggled to keep out with Jojo.

He would reach the top soon and the two other boys would follow.

"Aha!" Desdemona exclaimed as she reached into her pocket. "Take this!"

She tossed the rope weapon right at him. Jojo was wrapped up in it and stumbled right out the window. Thanks to the rope, he was snagged on a ledge, but he wasn't going anywhere.

"Gotcha!" Desdemona cheered.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Timothy-**Yes, I'm Garfield's brother. He always got so much attention for everything he ever did. I've tried time and time again to make my own impact, but all I ever get is, "Look, Timothy is following in his brother's footsteps." No, I want to make my own footsteps!

**Jojo-**No, no, no! I don't get beaten, and especially not by freakshow girls.

**Keith-**This is too perfect. At the next elimination, Timothy is out of here.

* * *

(Raging Rivers, Racers)

In a desperate attempt, Stanley was throwing everything he had at the girls. He was on the final balcony tossing oil, glue, marble, water, boxes, nets, barrels, anything he could get his hands on.

"Just keep moving," Ilona said as she slipped and tumbled down a few steps.

"Keep your feet steady," Chelsea said more to herself than anyone else as she jumped out step by step.

It was a slow and gradual progress, but eventually they arrived at a door leading up to the roof.

"We made it all the way!" Chelsea cheered.

The tree went through the door and arrived out in the open.

"The Raging Rivers are arriving," Chris announced as he stood in the center.

Suddenly, Keith and Timothy arrived from the other ends.

"Here comes Keith and some boy I've never seen before," Chris said. "But it's too late for them, because the Rivers are all here!"

"Hooray!" Chelsea cheered.

"So, Keith, who's your friend?" Chris asked.

"You just don't recognize him without his mask," Keith said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Chelsea exclaimed. "_That's_ the masked guy? You're not disfigured or anything. Why hide your face like that?"

Timothy remained silent.

"Well, Monster Mountains, since you lose I'll be seeing you at elimination tonight," Chris said. "You may return to your camp now to plan your vote."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**I knew we would be strong enough to pull through. Now the settings will be a little more equal.

**Chelsea-**That masked guy is actually kinda cute without his mask on. I'm really wondering what's up with him, though.

* * *

(Monster Mountains Camp)

Calvin, Jojo, and Matilda were all in there shelter. Calvin had received a number of bruises over his body.

"I can't say how sorry I am," Matilda apologized. "I, like, seriously thought that it was going to open on the other end."

"Just…try not to do something like that again," Calvin replied.

"Hello," Keith greeted as he entered the shelter. "I have something very interesting to tell you about tonight's vote."

Jojo opened his mouth, but Keith held his hand up.

"Let me finish," he said. "I happened to learn the masked boy's identity."

"Yeah, I noticed that he lost the mask," Calvin said. "What difference does it make?"

"I'll tell you," Keith said. "He's Garfield's brother. You know, the guy who's already stinking rich. So I ask you, does it really seem fair that we have two wealthy guys competing? Not only that, but they're related so it's like they have a double shot at winning."

"Hey, that does sound unfair," Jojo said.

"And to think that he's been lying to us all this time," Calvin added. "Well, he's not going to get away with it any longer."

Meanwhile, Timothy was sitting under a tree in the forest with Pamela.

"So…this is your face?" Pamela asked.

"I wasn't trying to hide my face, I was trying to hide my identity," Timothy sighed. "I just know that people will treat me differently knowing who I really am. That's why I had to keep it a secret, I didn't want to be immediately seen as a connection to my brother."

"Well, it's a little too late for that," Keith said from the treetop. "I just overheard that Calvin and his group plan to vote you out since you're already rich, and because your brother is also in the contest."

"Great, this is exactly what I didn't want to happen," Timothy grumbled as he kicked the ground.

"And I just want to say that I am immensely sorry for what happened," Keith said as he sat down next to him. "This isn't at all what I wanted."

"It's not your fault," Timothy sighed. "But it looks like it's all over for me."

"Oh no it's not," Pamela declared. "It's all over for _me_. When I'm done with these guys they're going to be so mad at me that they'll forget all about you."

"Wait, wait, you're actually trying to help someone?" Keith asked in surprise.

"Look, I think I've said it enough that everyone here is despicable slime," Pamela said. "And I'm sure Timothy is no exception. But out of all the slime, he's the one who I think most deserves to be here. Much more than me at least."

"So, you're willing to give up the prize?" Timothy asked.

"I never wanted a stupid prize," Pamela scoffed. "I just wanted to make people miserable. Which I'll be doing right now. But you both have to vote for me. I don't want to take any risk."

"What!? I can't vote for you," Timothy exclaimed.

"It's either you or me," Pamela said. "And I want to make sure that it's me."

Pamela then left for the mountain clearing.

"You might as well tell Stanley the plan," Keith remarked.

Timothy nodded and walked deeper into the forest until he found Stanley's shelter.

"Hey…you," Stanley greeted. "You're looking good without the mask."

Timothy gave a quick explanation of Pamela's plan.

"Don't vote for her," Stanley said at the end. "We have the majority, if we stick together we can get Calvin out."

"You think so?" Timothy asked.

"It's purely numbers," Stanley said. "If you, Keith, Pamela, and I all vote for Calvin, there won't be enough votes to save him, no matter who they vote for."

Pamela meanwhile had grabbed a large stick and was charging at Calvin's shelter.

"Hey, morons, guess who!" she exclaimed as she swung her stick at the side of the shelter.

The building began to shake with each blow.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Calvin snapped.

"Just giving you exactly what you deserve," she retorted as she knocked out one of the walls.

"Stop her!" Calvin ordered.

Jojo charged at Pamela and tackled her. She resisted him, though, and bit down on his arm. Jojo cried out and backed away. This allowed Pamela to punch him in the stomach.

"Leave him alone, you meanie!" Matilda exclaimed as she charged at Pamela.

Pamela just kicked her aside. Matilda slammed into the shelter which collapsed on top of her. Jojo was finally able to overpower her. He wrapped his hands around her head and tossed her into the dirt.

"I…won't go so easy…next time," he said through breaths.

Pamela looked like she was ready to keep fighting when she spotted Timothy waving her over. She spat out dirt and approached him.

"What? Can't you see that I'm in the middle of something?" she snapped.

"Listen, Stanley says that if we vote together neither of us have to go," Timothy said. "We can eliminate Calvin instead."

"But that implies that you trust Stanley and Keith," Pamela pointed out. "Do you really believe that they're not at all selfish, resentful, jealous of you? You don't think that they might be willing to backstab you?"

"I'm willing to take that risk," Timothy said. "You've proven that you truly are a good friend to me. I don't want to be responsible for your elimination."

"Good friend?" Pamela laughed. "That's rich. I'm a horrible person. All I've ever tried to do is make you suffer, and you are going to vote for me!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**After all this time I've really seen that the masked guy is a decent person. Of course he obviously has terrible flaws, but he does not deserve to be voted out because of something petty like this.

**Timothy-**Pamela has always just been a mystery. I guess that's what I always liked about her. Hopefully we'll both be able to stick around so I can keep unravelling this mystery.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

"Mountains, you're looking…a little rough," Chris noted as they arrived.

Pamela was covered in dirt and scrapes, Matilda had splinters all over her, and Calvin was bruised all over.

"And it looks like you've lost one member and got another," Chris noted as he pointed at Timothy. "Although, by the end of tonight you'll be losing one member forever."

Several glares were shot between campers.

"I have the six pinecones tonight," Chris said. "And they go to…"

"Jojo!"

"Matilda."

"Keith."

"Stanley."

All that remained were Calvin, Timothy, and Pamela. Calvin and Timothy both held their heads proudly, while Pamela was unusually subdued.

"Each of you got at least one vote," Chris said. "But I still have a pinecone for…"

"Calvin!"

Calvin smiled smugly as he accepted the pinecone.

"Pamela, new guy, it comes down to this," Chris said.

"Well, I guess either way this is goodbye," Timothy said sadly.

Pamela just mumbled something incomprehensibly.

"The final pinecone of the night," Chris announced, "goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Timothy!"

"Oh, I knew it, I knew it!" Pamela exclaimed. "I knew that you were all just a bunch of traitorous, selfish, lying backstabbers. What did this boy do wrong to you? Nothing! But you couldn't see that. You were caught up in your petty, sick desire. You think that I'm the one who's awful and nasty? Well, I say that all of you—"

"Pamela, calm down," Timothy said.

"Now I won't calm down!" Pamela snapped. "I am done playing lightly with you people. I am going to destroy each and every one of you!"

"Can we move it along please?" Chris said as he guided Timothy to the edge of the dock. "Timothy, it was nice knowing you, for the couple of hours that we did. So long!"

With that Timothy was launched into the air.

"Well, now that that' s over, you can all head back to camp," Chris said.

* * *

(Raging Rivers Camp)

"Your brother?!" Chelsea exclaimed in surprise as Garfield finished explaining what happened.

"That's right," Garfield said. "I was as surprised as you are."

"I'm not," Desdemona said, though she was forcing herself not too show her shock, "I always knew it was him."

"You did?" Garfield asked. "Then why didn't you say something?"

"I wanted to respect the boy's privacy," Desdemona replied. "He had that mask on for a reason, after all."

"Yeah, what was with that?" Chelsea asked. "Do you guys not get along or something?"

"That's what I don't understand," Garfield sighed. "I thought that we had a fine relationship. He was always trying to follow in my footsteps and everything. But he seemed so angry to see me today."

"Do you know why he acted this way, Desdemona?" Misha asked.

"I do, but I think that it is something that the brothers need to discuss amongst themselves," Desdemona said.

"Well, let's hope Timothy doesn't get voted off," Chelsea said. "Since you guys clearly have a lot of talking to do."

At that moment, Elijah arrived and tapped on Desdemona's shoulder.

"Yes?" Desdemona said.

"I…uh, got you this flower," Elijah said as he handed her a colourful flower. "I just…well, your all colourful and strange just like this flower and well…I'm trying to be nice."

"And you're doing a wonderful job of it," Desdemona said as she accepted the flower.

Elijah then winked at Garfield who gave him the thumbs up.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I think I got him under my control now.

**Garfield-**The next time I see Timothy we're going to have a long talk.

* * *

(Monster Mountains Camp)

"Well, I suppose we had better start rebuilding this," Calvin grumbled as his group surrounded the destroyed shelter. "Or at least get something up for the night."

The three of them began collecting wood, but suddenly something hit Calvin in the neck.

"Ow!" he exclaimed.

He looked up to see Pamela sitting in a tree tossing rocks at them.

"Don't you regret keeping me over him?" Pamela sneered as she tossed a large pinecone at Jojo's head.

She had plenty of ammo. She threw stones of all sizes, she even threw a clump of dirt that exploded in Matilda's face.

"Hey, I told you, I'm done going easy," Jojo said as he started to climb the tree.

"No, I'm done going easy!" Pamela shot back as she kicked Jojo back down off of the tree.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Stanley was climbing up a tree.

"Mind if I sleep with you tonight?" he asked Keith.

"Not at all," Keith said from a higher branch. "Any reason why?"

"Pamela hates us just as much as them," Stanley pointed out. "It's only a matter of time before she comes for my shelter."

"And?" Keith prodded.

"And I'm feeling lonely," Stanley sighed. "With the masked guy gone the shelter is empty and I've got no friends left."

"You've still got me," Keith said with a smile as he hopped down to share the branch with Stanley. "You'll always have me."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Now I have complete control.

* * *

**Votes:**

**Pamela-**Me! I'm doomed anyways, I might as well let someone more deserving stay.

**Calvin-**It just wouldn't be fair to keep Timothy around. Aren't there rules against this kind of thing?

**Matilda-**That Pamela, like, totally has to go! Like, right now!

**Stanley-**Calvin, I don't know how you keep avoiding elimination, but I'm not going to stop trying.

**Timothy-**Calvin. I really hope this works.

**Jojo-**Timothy. His brother might donate the money to charity, so that's okay, but he's just going to get richer. He's the selfish one.

**Keith-**Timothy, I'm sorry, but you're just too smart for my liking. Not nearly as smart as me, of course.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"So, we finally learn the masked boy's identity, only to have him eliminated," Chris narrated. "The full wrath of Pamela has been unleashed, and you thought her regular wrath was bad. Do the Monster Mountains even stand a chance anymore? Is Keith's control as solid as he thinks? Is Desdemona getting any closer to seizing control? All of this and more is coming up so don't miss the next Total…Drama…Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Timothy soared through the air and landed in the sand. Shannon went over to investigate. She helped him up and looked at this face.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked.

"I could tell you," Jason said. "Except for the fact that—"

"Shut up, I wasn't talking to you!" Shannon snapped. "In fact, I don't even care who you are. You people should all be talking about me!"

"This is going to be painful," Timothy sighed as he looked around and read the sign.

He just sighed and sat down in the shelter.

"So…the mask finally came off?" Esme asked.

"It was forced off," Timothy said not asking how she knew who he was.

"That's the thing about masks," Esme remarked. "They made hate your scars, but once they come off, all your scars are still there."

"Right…I should have thought of that," Timothy sighed sarcastically as he prepared to go to sleep.

Meanwhile, over by the temple, Sasha had dug a deep hole and had piled a large amount of dirt.

"Seriously, we've been here all day," Rusty complained. "We're not going to find anything. I'm going to sleep."

Rusty departed, leaving Sasha by herself. A few minutes later she emerged.

"Squire, I've done it!" she exclaimed. "Squire?"

She looked up at the moon.

"Ah, I suppose that this shall have to wait till the morn," she remarked as she followed after Rusty.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**There's no way that she's finding an idol. She's nuts. Plus she doesn't have the skill that I do. Nyeh nyeh nyeh…Hm, I think I liked my old laugh better.

_Author's Note: The Masked Guy was a big surprise for me. I always knew that he'd end up being Timothy, who I tried to mention a few times before, but I never knew how popular he'd be. His entire storyline with Pamela was another interesting development which I really liked. As always, thanks for reading, and be sure to leave a review!_


	14. Just A Kiss

"Previously on Total Drama Stranded," Chris announced, "the campers raced to the top of a castle. Keith made it his goal to destroy his biggest threat, the masked boy. He was able to get his mask off and he was revealed as Timothy, Garfield's brother. Timothy explained that he was tired of being affiliated with his brother's fame. Once the Mountains had lost, Keith arranged for his team to vote for Timothy. Despite Pamela's attempt to turn herself into a target, Timothy was still eliminated. Now the Mountains have a very angry Pamela on their team. But today isn't about anger, it's about love. We're making a challenge around this wonderful emotion. So keep watching Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Rusty was awoken by a stick prodding his ribs.

"What? What?!" he snapped as he looked up.

"Time to rise, Squire," Sasha said as she poked him again with the stick.

"We're still doing that?" Rusty grumbled as he got up.

"I have made a discovery," Sasha declared. "The temple shall no long hold any secrets from us."

"Well, I guess it can't hurt to take look," Rusty shrugged as he got up.

Once again they ventured through the jungle and to the ruin of a temple. Out front was the hole that Sasha had been working on.

"I have found a new entrance," Sasha declared. "Follow me."

The girl jumped down the hole, and Rusty followed after her. They found that it led right into a passage. The floor and walls were both made out of rotting stone.

"Whoa," Rusty said as he looked around.

"Quite the amazing sight, isn't it?" Sasha said. "I've said better, but still, it's not bad."

Rusty stepped towards the wall to examine some of the fading writing, then he heard a click.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Nothing good," Sasha replied.

Suddenly walls slammed down all around them.

"We're stuck!" Rusty cried. "The hole's on the other side of this wall, we're never going to get out!"

"Nonsense, Squire," Sasha scoffed. "We shall find a new way out."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**This is definitely not what I had in mind. It's not worth getting stuck underground just to keep my idol a secret.

**Sasha-**The greater the treasure, the greater the challenge to reach it. And I believe that we are nearing one of the greatest treasures.

* * *

On the beach, Timothy was walking along the waves in deep thought. He kicked a shell around as he kept his eyes on the ground. Perhaps this was why he didn't realize that Esme was behind him. Or perhaps it was because Esme could appear behind anyone undetected.

"You do not seem eager to attempt to return," Esme noted.

"Oh…well, that's because I'm not really," Timothy sighed.

"I see that you are conflicted," Esme said as she sat down next to him. "You do still want to win."

"I want to win," Timothy admitted. "But I don't know if I want to go back."

"You are afraid," Esme said.

"Yes," Timothy sighed. "I'm afraid of facing everyone again. I'm a whole new person to them now, and they're going to see me differently. And then there's Garfield."

"Ah yes, your brother," Esme said. "You are bound to him. Your face, your name, your blood, all tie you to him. You fear that you have nothing of your own."

"That's not it," Timothy said. "What I fear is that no one will see me for who I am. No matter what I do, it will always come back to Garfield."

"And yet you cannot change your face, or your name, or your blood," Esme replied. "You can only hide it."

"Not anymore," Timothy sighed.

"Perhaps there are other solutions," Esme said.

"Like what?" Timothy asked.

"I cannot tell you," Esme replied. "That is something that you must discover on your own."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Timothy-**At times, Esme seems like she's really deep and philosophical. But then at other times I feel like she's just reciting clichés from movies.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Stanley was leaning against a large tree. He was quite high up, on a firm branch. Lying against him was Keith. Stanley had been awake for a while, and he suspected that Keith was too, even if the smaller boy still kept his eyes closed. His eyes dropped down as he heard angry footsteps approaching.

"Well, here it comes," he sighed. "Looks like we can say goodbye to the shelter."

Pamela was carrying a large stick as she marched towards the shelter that Stanley used to sleep in.

"You can say goodbye to it," Keith said. "I never really was that attached."

"She's going to be trouble," Stanley said as Pamela slammed her stick over and over into the shelter.

"Please," Keith scoffed. "She's so predictable. We can use her anger to our advantage, or we can use it to get rid of her. I'm leaning towards the former, since we're running a little low on allies."

"Don't remind me," Stanley sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Somehow Calvin keeps finding ways to keep him and his friends out of danger. If this keeps us, both of us will be springing out of here."

"Or we could just keep winning immunity," Keith suggested. "The merge can't be that far away."

"I think it's still a little ways to go," Stanley sighed. "And with Pamela on our team, I don't think we can count on winning too much."

"Like I said, Pamela's anger is a tool," Keith said. "We just make sure she gets angry at the other team, and then nothing will stop her from winning those challenges."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**No matter what happens, I'll always maintain complete control of this team. Whoever leaves, will leave because I say so.

**Stanley-**Keith is pretty much the only friend I have left. He's a great guy, but I don't think he can get us out of this mess. Calvin is still our enemy, and Pamela is everyone's enemy. Immunity is pretty much my only shot at making it to the merge.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Garfield was taking a slow stroll through the forest. He took his time to enjoy the wild scenery. He paused when he heard the sound of someone else. Curious, he went over to investigate. He spotted Chelsea on her own, twirling her baton and stepping in rhythm.

"And one, and step, and two, and turn," she chanted. "Go, team, go!"

"What are you up to?" Garfield asked as he approached her.

"Just working on a new cheer routine," Chelsea said. "You may not think it, but a good cheer can really give a team that extra push of motivation."

"You take cheerleading seriously, I see," Garfield said.

"It's very important to me," Chelsea answered. "To most people it doesn't really seem like it, but cheerleading is a lot of work. It takes determination, patience, and the courage to try something different."

"And you're the captain on your team?" Garfield asked.

"That's right, that's even more work," Chelsea replied. "You always have to work harder and harder for your goals."

"And what is your goal?" Garfield asked.

"Popularity," Chelsea answered. "I know, I've heard all the clichés and aesops about popularity, but I don't care what people say, it is important when you're in high school. And it's most certainly not easy to obtain. To be a somebody you've got to prove that you're worth it. Every single day."

"I know that," Garfield sighed.

"Is this about your brother?" Chelsea asked.

"Pretty much," Garfield sighed. "I try as hard as I can to make the world a better place. It's just that when you hear about the hundreds of problems, you can't help but feel that you have to do something. Well, I can do something and I try to. But obviously I'm still making mistakes. From some reason my brother doesn't want anything to do with me, and I don't even know why."

"Hey, you're a great guy," Chelsea said. "I'm sure you haven't done anything wrong."

"I try, but I must be doing something wrong," Garfield said. "I've spent so much time working, yet I've had less and less time for my brother."

"Well, as soon as you see your brother you can start working on that," Chelsea said. "Speaking of work, why aren't you working on breakfast?"

"Oh, Misha said she wanted to try supporting the team," Garfield said.

"She's so precious," Chelsea smiled.

"She is," Garfield agreed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I really doubt that Garfield did anything wrong. If he was my big brother I would worship him.

**Garfield-**I really do try my best to make a difference in the world. But it's left me spread out a little thin.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Calvin, Jojo, and Matilda were all working on a trap. Calvin was tying a rope, while Matilda and Jojo piled mud and dirt on the top.

"This is going to show her," Calvin said.

"It's going to be great!" Matilda cackled. "Pamela's going to get like so so so dirty. It's totally going to, like, ruin her fashion. Although her fashion really wasn't that great to begin with. Maybe it'll even be, like, an improvement. It might even be, like, a step up in fashion. Maybe dirt will become like a new fashion craze and everything."

"Just about done," Jojo said. "We spent all this time when we could have been rebuilding our shelter, but it'll be worth it."

"Here she comes!" Matilda exclaimed.

Jojo and Matilda went off to hide, while Calvin stayed by the rope. Once Pamela was under the trap, he released the rope and a pile of filth showered over Pamela.

"Ha!" Calvin laughed. "That is what you deserve. You horrible girl!"

"I know exactly what I am and what I deserve," Pamela sneered. "But I also know that you're no different. Yet I'm the one covered in dirt."

"Don't act all high and mighty," Calvin scoffed. "I'm so much more than you'll ever be. I actually have friends, and we both know that you never will."

"I can slam this stick right up your nose!" Pamela threatened.

"And would that change anything?" Calvin countered. "Would that suddenly make you the kind of girl that people would like? Would that make it so you would actually have a chance at finding someone to love you? No, you're still going to be the same horrid freak."

"Don't tell me about love!" Pamela snapped. "I know for a fact that it doesn't exist. You're only living a lie."

"Is that would you really believe?" Calvin shot back. "Or is that just what you tell yourself because you know that no one would ever love you?"

"You know what's really pathetic?" Pamela sneered. "That you think that by attacking the flaws of others, that that makes your own flaws less significant."

"It does!" Calvin shouted.

An awkward silence filled the space between the two of them.

"Wait, that's not what I meant," Calvin said. "I meant…shut up, freak!"

The two marched off in opposite directions.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Matilda-**You know, I was thinking that dirt might actually become a real, like, fashion icon, you know? I have got to, like, hang onto this idea. I could totally, like, contact all the big magazines, and, like, get it out there.

**Calvin-**Pamela is a different kind of enemy. She can't be knocked down because she already is down. But I will break her. I cannot have anyone thinking they can challenge me. I must stay at the top at all times.

**Pamela-**Calvin needs someone beneath him to make himself feel big. But I won't give him that satisfaction. He's the one who's going to be crushed when I'm done with him.

* * *

Elijah left the shelter and soon found Desdemona sitting cross-legged on her own.

"Hi there," he greeted.

"Shh," Desdemona silenced. "I am gathering stories from the whispers in the grass."

"Ooookay," Elijah replied.

"Alright, now you may speak," Desdemona said.

"So, I was just wondering if I had a chance with you," Elijah said. "I mean, really you should be the one asking me, but those other girls haven't exactly been responding well and—"

"Hold on," Desdemona silenced again. "What is your sign?"

"Uh, Leo," Elijah replied.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes," Desdemona said.

"Is that good?" Elijah asked.

"The stars have foretold of an intertwine between myself and someone of your sign," Desdemona exclaimed. "Together you are I can achieve much, for it is our destiny."

"So…that's a yes?" Elijah asked.

"Of course," Desdemona replied, she then added, "That means that you'll vote for who I tell you to, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Elijah said.

"Then of course," Desdemona exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Well, it's going to take some work, but I think I've got Elijah now. It's not like I'm fully lying to him. I can see myself going out with him...possibly…in another life.

**Elijah-**I've decided to settle for Desdemona…for now. I need a woman in my life to keep me going, but if something better comes along I'll take it.

* * *

"Campers!" Chris's voice blared through the island. "Meet me at the Dock of Shame. You've got another challenge to do!"

The two teams left their camps and made their way to the dock where Chris was waiting.

"Once again, it's time to duel for immunity," Chris declared. "This time it's a challenge of…love!"

"Oooh, that sounds like so super exciting romantic!" Matilda exclaimed.

"This is definitely my kind of challenge," Elijah added.

"In this challenge, you will be split into pairs," Chris said. "One man and one woman. However, due to the gender imbalance on both teams, some pairs will have to be of the same gender."

Jojo glanced at Stanley grinning at him and started to pray desperately.

"If you look out on the water you'll see six courses made out of wooden platforms," Chris said. "It is the men's job to guide their blindfolded woman to safety. Since it's always up to the men to keep the useless women safe."

"Do you have any idea how close to a lawsuit you are?" Chelsea snapped.

"There are several tasks and traps waiting for you over the course," Chris continued to explain. "You'll notice that the water looks muddier today. Well, we've loosened up the dirt and mud underneath, which means that if you get wet it's going to leave a nasty stain. The dirtier the women are at the end of the challenge, the less points they'll win for their team and—"

It was then that he noticed Pamela. She was already completely covered in filth.

"Pamela, this isn't going to work," Chris said. "Luckily I came prepared for this sort of thing."

He pulled out a tight, revealing green dress.

"You expect me to wear that?" Pamela scoffed.

"No, I'm telling you to wear it," Chris said as he tossed it to her. "Get changed."

Pamela grumbled as she walked off behind some shrubs and trees. A few minutes later she arrived wearing the deep cut, forest green dress.

"I think it's digging into my skin," she complained as she grabbed at her stomach.

"So, can we pick our partners now?" Stanley asked as he leapt next to Jojo.

"Nope, I'll be telling you who your partners are," Chris said. "First off, Elijah and Desdemona, I've noticed that you two have been getting close. So you will the first couple."

"Perfect," Elijah said as he turned to Desdemona.

"Next, Ilona and Garfield," Chris said.

"I couldn't ask for a better partner," Garfield said to Ilona.

"But that just leaves me with her," Misha said upset as she looked at Chelsea.

"Yep, Misha, since you're so cute, you'll be the woman," Chris said. "Chelsea, that makes you the man."

"Well, I've been called worse," Chelsea remarked.

"Now, for the Monster Mountains," Chris continued. "First off, Jojo and Matilda."

"Oh thank god," Jojo sighed in relief as he grabbed Matilda.

"Wow, you sure know how to make a girl feel special," Matilda laughed.

Next up, Stanley and Keith, you've made it clear that there's something going on between the two of you," Chris said. "And Keith, I think it's quite obvious that you're the feminine one."

"Fair enough," Keith shrugged.

"That leaves Pamela with Calvin," Chris finished.

"This is going to be too easy," Pamela scoffed.

"Oh no, you are not throwing this challenge," Calvin exclaimed.

"You don't tell me what to do," Pamela sneered.

"Oh yes I do," Calvin challenged.

"Aw, they're so right for each other," Chris exclaimed. "Now, ladies and Keith, time to get your blindfolds on."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**There's no way I'm letting my team win ever again. And this challenge will be so easy to throw.

**Calvin-**While I wouldn't mind voting out Pamela, I don't want our team to fall behind. Which is why I can't let her screw us over.

**Keith-**Hm, I suppose if it was necessary I could give Pamela a nudge in the right direction. But I trust Calvin to keep her under control.

**Matilda-**Wow, I've been paired with Jojo. He's, like, this season's dreamboat!

**Chelsea-**Honestly, I'm a little disappointed. Not that I have anything against Misha, but I was really hoping to have a romantic time with a guy. On the other hand, maybe it's a good thing I didn't get Elijah.

* * *

"Alright, couples, are you ready?" Chris exclaimed.

The six "girls" had blindfolds covering their eyes now.

"Gentlemen, you're first task is to canoe your girl over to the course," Chris explained. "And remember, the goal is to keep them clean."

The couples got into their canoes.

"Ready, set, go!" Chris exclaimed.

Elijah immediately started paddling as fast as he could. However, this proved to be a bad idea as his short, abrupt strokes splashed water all over Desdemona.

"Slow down, slow down," Desdemona ordered. "You want more of a gentle stroke."

"Whatever you say, my lovely lady," Elijah replied.

Chelsea was making good progress as she managed to move through the water smoothly.

"I should paddle too," Misha said. "We'd be going way faster then."

"Nope, the ladies must remain as useless as possible," Chris said.

"Oh, I am so close to giving Chris…a stern talking to," Misha grumbled.

"Don't worry, Misha," Chelsea said. "It's not a race, we just need to make sure that you stay clean."

Garfield was following right behind Chelsea with Ilona sitting in his boat. Suddenly Jojo pulled up next to them.

"Hey, take this!" he exclaimed as he splashed his paddle to spray Ilona and Garfield.

"Hey, cut it out!" Garfield snapped as Jojo continued to cover them in muddy water.

"Ignore him," Ilona said. "The best thing we can do is try to avoid him."

Garfield nodded as he changed his direction slightly to evade Jojo.

"You're not getting away that easy," Jojo said.

"Um…maybe you should, like, let them go," Matilda suggested as she gestured at her shirt which had also been splashed.

"Oh…yeah, maybe you're right," Jojo replied.

Stanley soared past Jojo as he stroked with strength.

"How you doing?" he asked Keith.

"Fine," Keith replied. "Just keep moving."

Pamela, meanwhile, was trying to jump out of the canoe.

"You can say goodbye to immunity," she said as she climbed over the edge.

"Oh no you don't!" Calvin retorted as he grabbed onto her waist and pulled her back.

"Let go of me!" Pamela snapped as she struggled and kicked.

"Okay, I can do this," Calvin said to himself as he restrained Pamela with one hand and stroked with the other.

"And they're off," Chris commentated. "Most of them are making good progress, but Ilona already looks a little dirty. Not to mention, Calvin is really having trouble getting anywhere."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**There are two ways to victory: Make sure you win, or make sure somebody else loses. Or if you're me, you can do both.

**Misha-**This challenge only emphasizes what I've been trying to avoid. I'm not useless, I'm the most valuable member to my team!

* * *

"The teams are coming up to the wooden course," Chris narrated. "They'll find that the platforms are a little wobbly."

Chelsea leapt out of her boat with Misha. As soon as she landed on the platform she felt it shake from side to side. She and Misha were both able to maintain their balance, though. From the other team, Stanley arrived with Keith.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed as he slid down to his knee.

"Are you okay?" Keith asked, not being able to make out anything.

"Yeah, I think I've got the hang of this," Stanley said. "Take my hand, I'll guide you across."

Garfield took Ilona up, while right across Jojo arrived with Matilda.

"You go ahead," Jojo said. "I'm going to take out the competition."

While Matilda clumsily wandered across the platform, Jojo stretched out his leg and kicked his opponents' platform.

"Hey!" Garfield exclaimed as he and Ilona tumbled to the ground.

Ilona rolled to the side and legs began to slip into the water. Garfield grabbed her hand and pulled her up before she could fall any more though.

"Here comes another," Jojo exclaimed as he kicked again.

This time, the two were prepared and managed to recover quickly.

"Look out!" Garfield exclaimed as he pointed behind Jojo.

The jock turned around to see Matilda was about to step over the edge. Quickly he grabbed her ponytail and pulled her back.

"Maybe I'll just carry you the rest of the way," he said.

"Whatever you say," Matilda replied as she got comfortable in his arms.

Chelsea noticed then and narrowed her eyes.

"If only I was on Jojo's team," Chelsea grumbled.

"Chelsea," Misha said, "maybe you should keep your eyes on—whoa!"

Misha slipped over the edge and fell into the water. Chelsea quickly grabbed her and pulled her back up.

"Yeah, watch out for that," Misha said. "I'm depending on you, remember. As unfair as it is."

"Don't worry, I can stay focused," Chelsea said.

Elijah had just arrived at the start of his course with Desdemona. He spotted Jojo carrying Matilda and was inspired.

"Don't worry I'll carry you across this course," he said to Desdemona. "Your feet won't even touch the ground."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Desdemona asked as Elijah struggled to lift her.

"Yeah…no problem," he grunted.

He then made a slow, struggling walk along the platform. It only took a few steps before he stumbled over to the side. He dropped Desdemona and she rolled into the water.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "I'll save you."

But it was too late, Desdemona pulled herself out of the water.

"I'll walk," she declared.

"Yeah, you do that," Elijah replied.

Calvin was still making a gradual progress towards the platform.

"I'm not letting go of you," he told Pamela. "So you might as well stop struggling."

"Never!" Pamela exclaimed.

"Then you leave me no option," Calvin said as he slammed the oar over her head.

She was knocked unconscious and stopped struggling. Calvin lifted her body and began to inch his way across the platform.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I think I've made it pretty clear that I'm interested in Jojo. While Matilda may have to be his girl for this challenge, I'll be his girl for real before the end of this game.

**Matilda-**Jojo is, like, the ideal boyfriend. Just being seen with him would, like, automatically raise your hotness score. He and Chelsea would make, like, a perfect match.

**Misha-**Ugh, I have to put up with Chelsea's love sick whining now? This is a competition, not a date meet.

**Desdemona-**Well, Elijah's trying, I'll give him that.

**Elijah-**I need to make Desdemona see what a catch I am. Sure, maybe I'm not as strong as Jojo, or as charming as Garfield, but…I'll think of something.

**Pamela-**(rubbing a bump on her head) I could complain about Calvin…but my head hurts and I'd rather just massage it for a bit.

* * *

"The couples are coming up to the next challenge," Chris exclaimed.

The groups in the lead jumped off of the first platform and onto another one.

"What's so special about this one?" Chelsea asked.

"You'll see," Chris said as he pushed a button.

Suddenly rows of cannons surfaced from the water. One fired and shot a glob of dirt right in front of Chelsea and Misha.

"Okay, we can do this," Chelsea said. "Just stay close to me."

She and Misha shuffled across the platform quickly. They were both able to avoid the oncoming filth.

"Don't worry, I won't let them get you," Jojo said as he pulled Matilda in closer.

Jojo wasn't able to move as gracefully as Chelsea and Misha and this resulted in him getting splattered with mud. However, Matilda ended up being a shield for the majority of it.

"Oh, this is so not hot," Matilda sighed as she spat out some mud.

Garfield guided Ilona, and Stanley guided Keith. Both of them we're doing their best to avoid the mud, but still couldn't stay completely clean.

"Are you alright?" Stanley asked as Keith got some mud on the back of his head.

"I'm fine," Keith replied. "Just stick close to me and try to block the damage."

"I wish I didn't have this blindfold," Ilona grumbled. "I feel so defenseless."

"Sorry, I'm doing my best to keep you safe," Garfield said. "Duck!"

He shoved Ilona out of the way out an oncoming glob. He then realized that Ilona was about to fall over the edge and quickly rushed to grab her. Meanwhile, Elijah was just now arriving at the next platform with Desdemona.

"Well, this is going to be tricky," he muttered.

"What do you suggest we do?" Desdemona asked.

"You just walk straight," Elijah said. "I'll keep you safe."

"Oh…" Desdemona didn't sound convinced. "Lucky me."

Desdemona walked forward and Elijah ran by her side.

"Look out!" he exclaimed as he jumped in front of a blast of dirt.

"Is everything alright?" Desdemona asked.

"We're fine," Elijah said. "Just keep moving."

As soon as he got back up, he saw another shot headed for Desdemona. He dived forward and was hit in the stomach.

"A-okay," he wheezed.

Pamela, meanwhile, was starting to regain consciousness.

"Huh…hey, put me down!" she snapped as Calvin carried her onto the next platform.

She wormed her way out of his hands.

"Get back here!" Calvin exclaimed as he chased after her.

Pamela was running right into the line of fire of the mud blasts. Calvin charged after her and knocked her to the ground. The mud flew right over her.

"Oh, you are going to pay for that!" Pamela growled.

She lunged at him. Calvin held his ground and wrestled with her. Seeing another oncoming bolt of mud, he twirled her to the other side and took the blow.

"Take this!" Pamela cried as she kicked Calvin in the stomach.

He stumbled backwards and into the water.

"Oh, Calvin is going to be drenched," Chris remarked. "Luckily, the man's presentation doesn't matter."

Calvin climbed back up and latched onto Pamela.

"Alright, no more messing around," he exclaimed as he lifted her up and charged down the platform.

"Well, so far Desdemona has managed to remain mostly clean, and so has Misha," Chris noted. "Ilona isn't looking so swell, but she could be worse. Matilda's taken some hits, but she doesn't look too bad. Keith has remained pretty clean, and surprisingly, so has Pamela. Now it's time for the toughest challenge yet."

The campers looked up to see that the platforms were getting higher. They have to jump up until they were at towering heights.

"Alright, Misha, hold my hand and stay close," Chelsea cautioned as she jumped with the girl onto the first platform.

"I'm not letting you go," Jojo told Matilda as he held her tightly.

Matilda was struggling and trying to say something though. Jojo pulled her out from his chest and she gasped for air.

"Sorry, I kinda need to breathe," she said.

As Jojo carried Matilda onto the next platform, he spotted Garfield and Ilona catching up behind him.

"Alright, time to take them out for good," he said as he leaned over to kick their platform.

However, this proved to be a bad idea, as his platform was even more unstable than the first course. He nearly fell over the edge and Matilda rolled right out of his arms. He managed to be quick enough to grab her ponytail though.

"Ow, ow, ow," Matilda cried as he pulled her up by her hair. "Please don't rip out my hair. I kinda, like, need it to be fashionable."

Stanley and Keith were next to arrive at the course. Stanley leapt onto the platform, but quickly lost his balance.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed as he stumbled near the edge.

Luckily, Keith heard his voice and grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back.

"Thanks," Stanley laughed. "Clearly Chris got our roles mixed up."

Still falling behind, Desdemona and Elijah arrived next. Elijah was completely covered in mud, but Desdemona was still quite clean.

"I'm…ready…to keep you….safe," Elijah worked out between breaths.

"Are you sure you don't need to take a few seconds?" Desdemona asked.

"No…I'm fine," Elijah replied. "Let's do this."

Elijah, however, was having much difficulty moving without collapsing in exhaustion.

"How about this?" Desdemona suggested. "I'll drag you along, and you just tell me when to jump."

"Sounds…good," Elijah breathed.

Last to arrive was Calvin and Pamela. Pamela was still squirming as Calvin lifted her above his head. With a firm kick, she knocked him down onto the platform.

"Aha, can't stop me now!" she exclaimed as she prepared to jump over the edge.

Calvin lunged after her, but Pamela had already jumped. Calvin still jumped after her and grabbed onto her ankles. He was only able to stay up by his feet hanging onto the edge of the platform.

"Just let me fall," Pamela ordered. "There's no way you're winning this."

"I'm afraid I always come out on top," Calvin countered as he struggled to pull her back up.

"No!" Pamela exclaimed as she tried to struggle.

Calvin managed to flip her back onto the platform. He then pulled himself back up. He was completely out of breath, yet he still clung to her ankles.

"Well, I'm certainly seeing some interesting strategies here," Chris remarked.

Chelsea and Misha kept up a good pace as they jumped from platform to platform, always getting higher. Jojo followed behind with Matilda tucked under his arm. Stanley came up next, holding onto Keith's hand tightly as they carefully jumped upwards. Garfield was trying to be a little more cautious with Ilona, but was still keeping up. Desdemona was dragging the exhausted Elijah behind her and relying on his voice.

"Okay…jump," he said.

Desdemona leapt clumsily onto the next platform. She nearly dropped Elijah who clung onto her wrist desperately.

"Keep moving, keep moving!" he said.

Calvin was still struggling with Pamela. He making slow progress as took baby steps with her in his arms. He had his arms wrapped around hers so she couldn't swing her fists at him, but she still struggled violently.

"You. Are. Not. Stronger. Than. Me!" he growled as he dragged her along.

"Oh no, you couldn't handle that," Pamela mocked. "You know that you can't beat me at this, so just give up now."

"Never!" Calvin retorted.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I cannot show any weakness. I cannot let people think that Pamela is winning any victories. Because she's not!

**Pamela-**Calvin clearly has a lot of issues. Issues that I can exploit.

* * *

"And the first few couples are reaching the final platform," Chris declared.

The final platform was pink and shaped like a heart. Chelsea jumped onto it with Misha following behind.

"Now all you have to do is kiss your partner," Chris said.

"We have to…have to…kiss?" Chelsea said uneasily.

"You don't _have_ to, but you'll lose points for your team if you don't," Chris said.

"Okay…okay…okay," Chelsea repeated as she tried to prepare herself.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Misha asked equally uneasy.

"Let's just get it over with," Chelsea said.

Both girls reluctantly leaned towards each other, and then immediately pulled away.

"Um…wait, we can do this," Chelsea said.

Jojo meanwhile had arrived with Matilda.

"Sweet, now I get to kiss a hot girl," he exclaimed as he placed her down.

"Oh…you think I'm hot?" Matilda giggled. "I mean, I know I am, and all, but, like, it's nice to hear it from such a sexy guy."

Chelsea noticed this and glared at them.

"So…are we not going through with this?" Misha asked. "Because I'd be okay with that."

Jojo cupped his hands around Matilda's head and the two of them kissed. Chelsea's face turned red with frustration as she continued to glare.

Ilona and Garfield were next to arrive.

"Well, we're supposed to kiss," Garfield said. "Are you okay with this? Because I'm not going to force you."

"Go ahead, it's for the good of the team," Ilona said.

Garfield gave her a light kiss on the lips before pulling back. Stanley and Keith arrived next.

"Well, you shouldn't have any trouble with this," Keith said.

"Yeah…" Stanley sounded nervous. "But are you okay with it?"

"No problem," Keith replied.

"Um…okay…" Stanley still remained reluctant.

Desdemona arrived with heavy breathing, but Elijah looked even worse as he collapsed on the platform.

"Elijah, Desdemona, get on with the kiss," Chris ordered.

"Kiss?!" Elijah exclaimed as he jumped back up with energy.

He then grabbed Desdemona and began kissing her passionately.

"Wow, someone's enjoying this," Chris remarked. "And let's see how our last couple is doing."

"There is no way that I'm kissing you," Pamela declared as Calvin dropped her on the platform.

"Too bad," Calvin said as he pulled into a struggling embrace and kissed her.

"Get off of me!" Pamela screamed as she booted Calvin into the water.

"Well, now we're just waiting for Chelsea and Misha, and Stanley and Keith," Chris announced.

"Uh…I don't think we're going to be able to this," Chelsea said.

"What about you boys?" Chris asked.

"Well…" Stanley said.

"Stanley, what's wrong?" Keith asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I can," Stanley replied.

"Well then," Chris said, "I guess that just about—Elijah, you can stop kissing now. "

Elijah wasn't listening though. In fact, he wasn't aware of any of his surroundings, which is why he didn't realize that he was getting closer to the edge. Suddenly, he and Desdemona stumbled over the edge and fell into the water.

"Ouch," Chris exclaimed. "And that wraps up the challenge. Now for the judging."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**That was so great, and the best part is, I'm going to be getting rewarded for doing what I love.

**Desdemona-**That wasn't so bad, but I could have done without the ending.

**Chelsea-**Matilda shouldn't be enjoying kissing Jojo, he's reserved for me.

**Misha-**Ugh, I hate blowing a challenge like that, but my training is about physical skill, not kissing girls.

**Matilda-**I know I shouldn't, like, enjoy kissing Jojo when I know that my BFF wants him. But it's, like, sooo hard.

**Keith-**Well, I'm confused, but maybe Stanley has an explanation.

**Pamela-**Damn, I had the perfect chance to jump then, but I was too stunned from that kiss.

* * *

Elijah and Desdemona surfaced, both of them covered in filth.

"Well, let's start with you two," Chris said. "You'll be given a score out of five based on how clean the girl is and how well you pulled off your kiss. You guys had a very romantic kiss, I'll give you that, but Desdemona is hideous. I'll give you a two."

Desdemona knocked Elijah on the back of his head.

"Now, Chelsea and Misha," Chris continued. "You guys are just the opposite. Misha is very clean, but you didn't even kiss. I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you a three."

"Well, we could have done worse," Chelsea remarked.

"Now, Ilona and Garfield," Chris continued. "Ilona doesn't look as awful as Desdemona, but she is still a little muddy. Your kiss was cute, but lacked that certain spark. I'll give you guys a three as well."

Ilona stamped her foot in frustration.

"That gives the Raging Rivers a score of eight," Chris declared. "If the Mountains can beat that then they win immunity. Let's start with Jojo and Matilda."

The two waved at Chris.

"Let's see, Matilda has a few unsightly splashes here and there, but you guys had a pretty good kiss," Chris said. "I'll give that a four."

"Yay!" Matilda cheered.

"We should have got a five," Jojo pouted.

"Now, Stanley and Keith," Chris continued. "You guys are the same as Chelsea and Misha. Clean, but no kiss. So you also get a three."

"Well, so far so good," Keith shrugged.

"And lastly, Pamela and Calvin," Chris finished. "That has got to be the most unromantic kiss I've ever seen. However, Pamela is still clean so I'll give you a three."

"No!" Pamela shouted. "We deserve lower. Look at me, I'll jump into the water right now."

"Too late for that," Chris said. "The Monster Mountains are today's winners. Rivers, I'll see you for elimination tonight."

* * *

(Raging Rivers Camp)

The team had grouped together in the center of the camp.

"Well, I think it's obvious who we're voting for tonight," Chelsea said. "Elijah."

"Hey!" Elijah complained.

"Face it," Chelsea said. "You blew it at the challenge. But even then, you're still really annoying."

"I thought I was being nice," Elijah protested.

"He's right," Desdemona defended. "Elijah was trying his hardest this challenge. Unlike Chelsea."

"What?" Chelsea exclaimed. "I got a higher score than both of you."

"But if you had just kissed Misha we would have won," Desdemona pointed. "You knew full well that you were giving up some points. Points that could have been critical."

"Hey, would you like to kiss her?" Chelsea said.

"That's irrelevant now," Desdemona said. "I'm sorry, Chelsea, but if there's anyone to blame today it's you. I have foreseen that you might cost us victory, yet I chose to ignore it. I see now that I was wrong."

Desdemona made sure to focus her eyes on Misha.

"Fine, vote for me," Chelsea snapped. "But the rest of you understand me, right? I trust you all to vote for Elijah."

As the group dispersed, Desdemona was sure to walk by Misha.

"I know that you will make the right decision in the end," she whispered to her.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**So, it's up to me now is it? I can definitely say that Desdemona is more bearable than Chelsea, but do I want to take the risk? Hm…I'm going to have to think about this.

**Desdemona-**I'm really depending on Misha to jump to my side. If we can force a tie then that might be just enough.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

"Welcome, welcome," Chris greeted. "Last time I saw you guys, there was a bit of a divide going on. Let's hope that it's been fixed."

"Yes, let's," Chelsea said.

"Now, I've got five pinecones here," Chris continued. "The first one is for Garfield."

Garfield smiled as he caught the pinecone.

"Ilona."

"Misha."

"Desdemona."

This just left Chelsea and Elijah. Both of them tried to keep up their poker faces, but it was clear that they were both somewhat nervous.

"This is the finale pinecone," Chris said. "And it goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Chelsea!"

"Yeah, go me!" Chelsea cheered. "Elijah, you don't have a prayer! That's what you get for being a player!"

"Well, looks like I'm out of here," Elijah sighed as he walked down the dock.

"Wait," Desdemona exclaimed. "Before you go, I want you to have this to remember me."

She handed him a small blue flower.

"And I want you to have this to remember me," Elijah said as he kissed her on the forehead.

He was then launched away into the distance.

"Raging Rivers, you may return to your camp," Chris said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Well, that was a waste of romancing.

* * *

(Raging Rivers Camp)

"Chelsea, wait up," Desdemona said as she chased after the cheerleader. "I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for trying to get you voted out like that."

"Yeah, that was bad," Chelsea replied annoyed.

"Look, it's just that I really liked Elijah," Desdemona said. "He made me feel special, and he made me blind to the signs. I see now that I always should have believed in you. I hope we can still be friends."

"Just…don't do it again," Chelsea said as she left her.

"She's going next, right?" Ilona asked as she walked up to Chelsea.

"Oh yeah," Chelsea replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I'm so screwed now.

**Ilona-**I don't blame Desdemona for sticking with her friend, but the fact remains that she is the weakest link now.

**Chelsea-**Sorry, Desdemona, I really don't think I can trust you.

* * *

(Monster Mountains Camp)

"Well, we did it again team!" Matilda cheered. "So…uh, where's Pamela?"

"Probably realized that she shouldn't mess with us if she values her bones," Jojo declared. "If she shows her face around here again I'll punch her right through that tree."

"We might as well take advantage of this break from her to get to work on our shelter again," Calvin said. "I'm not looking forward to sleeping out in the open again."

Meanwhile, in the forest, Stanley and Keith were both sitting in a tree.

"So, what happened today?" Keith asked. "I thought that would be easy for you."

Stanley just sighed.

After a silence he said, "Well, the truth is…I've never really kissed another guy before. Or actually meant it at least."

"Really?" Keith asked in surprise.

"Don't sound so shocked," Stanley said with a sad smile. "It's hard enough for a guy to find the right girl, let alone the right guy. Anyways, I guess I just wasn't ready to have it flung at me like that."

"Well, don't sound so glum," Keith said. "You'll find someone eventually."

"Don't bet on it," Stanley sighed. "I've never kissed a guy before, and I've accept that I never will."

"Hey, there's a first time for everything," Keith said before dropping down, and kissing Stanley.

From the ground, Pamela saw them and scowled.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**...Whoa.

**Keith-**Do I like boys? Irrelevant. What matters is that I keep Stanley loyal to me.

**Pamela-**Disgusting.

**Votes:**

**Chelsea-**I wanted you gone before, and I still want you gone now. Goodbye Elijah.

**Garfield-**Sorry, Elijah, you seemed to be trying, but you still blew it at the challenge.

**Desdemona-**Come on, Misha, don't let me down. I can't lose my only remaining ally.

**Ilona-**Elijah has only been causing trouble. It's time for him to go.

**Elijah-**Chelsea, you're really hot, but if you don't want me, then I don't want you.

**Misha-**Hm, if I vote for Chelsea the best that's going to happen is a tie. If she goes that'd be great, but if she stays then I'm in trouble. I just can't take that risk, as much as I may want to.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And with that we say goodbye to another camper," Chris said. "Be sure to come back next time. Find out if Desdemona can save herself from the hole she's become trapped in. See if Pamela can keep on trolling her team. And be prepared for another huge elimination. See you next time on Total…Drama…Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"Whooooaaaa!" Elijah cried as he landed in the sand.

"Keep it down," Riley complained. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

"Who is it now?" Timothy asked as he went over to investigate.

"Hello," Elijah said as he shook the sand out of his hair

Elijah looked around his new surroundings.

"Hm, something's not right here," Elijah said.

Timothy quickly explained to him how the island worked.

"Really? Interesting," Elijah said.

It was then that he spotted Shannon.

"Oh no, not her!" he cried. "Get me away from her!"

He quickly ran as far as possible from the girl.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**I've had to deal with psycho ex-girlfriends, but Shannon was psycho before I even met her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sasha and Rusty were running through the trap filled temple.

"We've been going through endless hallway after endless hallway," Rusty complained. "Can't we just find a way out of here?"

"Alright, but only because my squire is not yet strong enough to space the dangers," Sasha said.

"Yeah, whatever, let's just go," Rusty urged.

He took a step forward and a spike shot up in front of him.

"Uh…why don't you go first?" he suggested.

Sasha led him through another hallway and up stairs.

"We should be getting close to the exit," Sasha said. "We just need to push aside the debris and maybe we can escape through there."

Soon enough they came to where the boulder had crashed into the door.

"Hm, this will take all my strength," Sasha said. "You can either help—"

"Pass," Rusty said.

"—Or stay out of the way and don't touch anything," Sasha said.

Rusty backed up while Sasha pushed aside what she could. As Rusty leaned against the wall he heard a click. Then the ground started to shake. He looked down to see that the floor was falling apart into an abyss. He quickly rolled out of the way, but the hole continued to spread.

"Uh, any chance you can speed it up?" he asked Sasha.

As he tried to escape from the growing hole, he tripped and stumbled forwards. His idol rolled of his coat and towards the hole.

"No!" he cried as he tried to grab it.

But it was too late. The idol rolled right into the abyss.

"Got it!" Sasha exclaimed as she cleared a tiny exit. "Let's get out of here.

"No, my idol!" Rusty cried.

But Sasha just grabbed onto the back of his jacket and pulled him through the narrow tunnel. Both of them emerged into the night outside.

"You had an idol?" Sasha asked.

"Uh…no, what made you think that?" Rusty asked.

Sasha just shrugged and said, "We shall return to this temple at another time."

"Oh no, I am done with this deathtrap," Rusty said. "You can find yourself a new squire."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**Well, I'm back to square one. But there's no way I'm going in there again. I could get killed. I'll have to find another idol, or steal it from one of the chumps who is desperate enough to go with Sasha.

_Author's Note: And that does it for Elijah. He was a pretty fun guy. It was necessary for him to switch teams so he could really show his true girl chasing side, but now that he's done that, there wasn't much more of a need for him._


	15. Putting the Drama in Total Drama

_Author's Note: Hey everyone, sorry for the slight break, I've been busy. I'll be going back to University soon so I don't know how this will affect my updating schedule. I might have less time, or maybe I'll get into a schedule and update at a smoother frequency. Who knows?_

"Previously on Total Drama Stranded," Chris announced, "We turned attention to this wonderful thing called love. Couples were formed within the teams, some were easy like Desdemona and Elijah, some were funny like Pamela and Calvin, and some were just plain weird like Chelsea and Misha. The couples travelled through an obstacle course, and at the end had to kiss. The kiss proved to be no problem for couples like Matilda and Jojo, or Elijah and Desdemona; however others like Stanley or Chelsea had trouble kissing their partners. In the end, it was the Monster Mountains who pulled through. Chelsea blamed Elijah for their loss, as well as his perverted behaviour, Desdemona on the other hand blamed Chelsea. At elimination it was Elijah who took the spring out of here. With the cast shrinking and shrinking, it's getting harder for people to survive. Can Desdemona get herself out of her corner? Will Pamela cost her team the challenge this time? We've got it all right here on Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Sasha paced through the sand as the sun rose. Everyone else was still asleep, but she was wide awake and trying to plan her next attack on the dangerous temple.

"I shall need a new squire," she declared to herself. "One who can handle the challenges of being a warrior."

One after another, the eliminated contestants began to wake up.

"Attention everyone," Sasha announced, "I am once again seeking a squire. Who here is brave enough to face the perils and retrieve the enchanted idols?" She received a few unenthusiastic groans.

"How can you give up like this?" she said. "We are still in the competition, we just need to keep fighting."

"I'll do it!" someone exclaimed.

She turned to see who it was, but was somewhat disappointed to see that it was Jason.

"I bet you're all saying that because I'm blind I don't stand a chance," he said. "Well, I'll show you."

"The only one who doesn't believe in you, is you," Esme said.

"Shut up!" Jason snapped. "Now, where's this idol?"

"Um…the temple is over here," Sasha said.

"Over where?!" Jason snapped. "I can't say where you're pointing because—"

"Just come with me," Sasha sighed as she dragged him with her into the forest.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**You know, Sasha's got the right idea. Sure, she's a total weirdo, but we can't just sit around here all day. Especially with Shannon so close.

**Jason-**I told everyone that they had to give me the first idol they found. And I just have the feeling that they're all laughing at me being blind and how I'll never know. Well, I'll have the last laugh now.

* * *

"I think I'm going to explore this island a bit," Elijah said. "Anyone want to show me around?"

Riley gurgled something in his sleep, Rusty just grunted something, and Esme remained silent. Elijah didn't even bother looking at Shannon.

"How about you?" he said as he asked Timothy.

"Sure," Timothy sighed. "I guess I can go with you."

The two boys got up and walked into the jungle.

"So…I hope there's no hard feelings about me voting for you," Elijah said.

"Oh, it's just a million dollars, who'd want that?" Timothy replied.

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, if you're just that rich," Elijah said as he scratched his head.

"Never mind, let's just keep walking," Timothy said.

The explored the land and travelled through the wilderness. They passed various trees, plants, and even some strange animals, yet saw no sign of any idols.

"Chris wouldn't hide them out in the open," Timothy noted. "He's probably got them somewhere dangerous. Like that temple Sasha mentioned."

"Yeah, but she's got dibs on that, and I'd rather not cross paths were her again," Elijah said. "Besides, there's supposed to be four total."

After a bit more walking, Elijah noticed that his foot had gotten stuck to the ground. Upon investigating, he found that it was some wispy string that had stuck to his shoe.

"What is this?" he muttered.

"Never mind it, what's that?!" Timothy exclaimed as he pointed to some eight-legged creature scuttling away.

Both boys suddenly felt very nervous, like some horror monster would jump out any second.

"Well…like you said, Chris would probably hide it someplace scary," Elijah mumbled.

The two boys continued to explore. The further they went, the more of the white wisps they saw hanging off of trees and spreading over the ground. Their ears perked up as they heard the sound of scuttling coming from all directions.

"What is that?" Elijah exclaimed.

"I don't know," Timothy replied. "Let's just be very careful."

The boys moved slowly through the dark area. Then the scuttling sound increased. Elijah looked back to see a horde of massive spiders scrambling towards them.

"Run!" he screamed.

He took off in a panic and Timothy followed behind him. The wisps, which they realized were webs, stuck to them whenever they stepped on them. Elijah began to stumble over his feet. Then the two came to the end of the ground. They had hit a massive pit. However, Elijah couldn't stop tumbling forward and rolling right down, knocking Timothy down with him. Luckily, they didn't hit ground, instead they landed in a bed of webbing. It stuck to them and held them in place.

"We're trapped," Elijah cried. "This is a web. A giant spider web for giant spiders. And we're their dinner!"

"Just calm down," Timothy said, sounding no less frantic. "I'm sure there's a way out of here."

Then the two boys saw a human figure standing at the top of the pit. What little clothes she wore was ripped to shreds. Instead, she just had a cloth of webbing over her body. Her brown hair was wildly strewn over her shoulders.

"Hello, boys, remember me?" she said hysterically.

"Briony?!" Elijah gasped.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Briony-**I thought that the spiders we're going to eat me, but they had a different idea. They made me their queen. And I've spent all this time, getting ready for my vengeance.

**Elijah-**Whoa, seeing Briony looking so wild was pretty hot…but the murderous look in her eyes was kind of a turn off.

* * *

"The temple is just around here," Sasha said. "Now, are you certain that you are ready to go through this? It's full of traps."

"Of course, do you think that because I'm blind I'll have trouble?" Jason scoffed.

"Yes," Sasha said flatly.

"I'll show you," Jason pouted as he stepped forward.

He stumbled straight through the hole that Sasha had dug earlier.

"Help!" he cried as he slid down into the temple.

Sasha just sighed as she slid down after him.

Meanwhile, Timothy and Elijah were still stuck in the web as Briony watched over them.

"I have been waiting for you," she hissed. "All this time, all I could think about was how you tried to hurt me. How you tried to break me. And I was powerless. I was could do nothing as you abused me, while my friends stabbed me in the back."

"Well, if I had known that this would happen, I totally would have rethought the whole abuse thing," Elijah said. "Can't we just talk through this? You know, I bet it's all just a big misunderstanding."

"Stop talking!" Briony snapped. "You don't have the power anymore. I am in power. I am a f**king queen!"

"Okay, uh, Briony, let's just calm down," Timothy said. "I didn't even know you. I swear, I would never do anything to hurt you."

"I'm done listening to both of you," Briony said. "My new family is hungry, and I'd hate to keep them waiting."

"Whoa, whoa, you're not serious about this, are you?!" Elijah said frantically. "I promise, I never ever meant to hurt you. I'm sorry for what I did. Please, just let me go and I'll do whatever you want!"

"It's too late for that," Briony said as spiders began swarming around every side of the pit.

"Elijah, grab my hand," Timothy said as he broke free and held out his arm.

Elijah grabbed on. Timothy then snapped through the webs and plummeted downwards with Elijah clinging onto them.

"After them!" Briony ordered. "Devour them!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**Did I do that to her? Is this my fault?!

**Briony-**I will have my revenge!

* * *

(Monster Mountains Camp)

Stanley stretched out as he woke up on a branch. He hoped to see Keith next to him, but he was alone in the tree. This wasn't anything unexpected, though, Keith often woke early and disappeared to be on his own.

"Where did that little guy get to?" Stanley mumbled to himself as he slid down the tree.

He began pacing through the wood, hoping to find Keith; however, he ran into someone else instead.

"Let me guess, looking for your new boyfriend?" Pamela sneered as she ran into Stanley.

"What do you want?" Stanley asked defensively.

"I'm just asking you a question," Pamela replied with malice. "Are you looking for your boyfriend?"

"Keith's not…what do you…we just…" Stanley stuttered over his word.

"Aw, you're so in love, that's sweet," Pamela said in a false sugary tone. "Not. It makes me sick. I'm going to say, you feel like you've found true love, it was fireworks after that one kiss."

"Look, what are you getting at?" Stanley demanded. "I'm in no mood to play games right now."

"What I'm getting at is that you're just going through with a lie," Pamela declared. "I think it's pretty obvious that you'll never find true love. So you're just in clinging onto desperate denial, telling yourself that you've finally found the one because of that one stupid kiss. But you're wrong, and you know it."

"Just stop!" Stanley snapped.

"You see, you're still denying it," Pamela insisted. "You know that sooner or later one of you will be voted out and then you'll never see each other ever again. But that's only assuming that Keith is actually into you, and not just trying to save your feelings."

"Out of my way!" Stanley ordered as he shoved her aside.

"He doesn't love you and you know it!" Pamela shouted before Stanley left earshot.

At the time, Keith was currently hanging on a different tree out by the main campsite. He was avidly watching the three contestants out there.

"…so then, like, I told the yearbook committee, 'if you think that, like, Mary Stein deserves Most Likely to Succeed, then you must have, like, a broad definition of success,'" Matilda recounted. "And then, like, they totally gave it to me."

"That's amazing," Jojo laughed.

"Yeah, wonderful," Calvin said much less enthusiastically.

"Oh, wait until you hear about the time when, like, I totally should have won Prom Queen," Matilda continued.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Love is a stupid, fake lie. And even if it wasn't, there's no way that Keith's just gay all of a sudden. I can't believe Stanley doesn't see it.

**Stanley-**I don't know what exactly is going on between me and Keith, but I'm not going to let Pamela get to me.

**Calvin-**God, she won't shut up. Why is she in my alliance again?

**Keith-**I've dealt with Timothy, now it's time to move onto the next biggest threat: Matilda. If she makes the merge, then she'll be the glue that brings the River alliances into Calvin's alliance. I can't let that happen, but I think I have just the plan.

* * *

(Raging Rivers Camp)

The Rivers had all woken up by now and we're going up their usual routines. Misha had taken over the fishing duty and was jabbing her spear into the water. Ilona and Chelsea were once more exercising to warm up. Garfield, however, was feeling somewhat blue. He wandered aimlessly around the camp until he spotted Desdemona.

"Oh, hey, I was wondering if I could talk to you," he asked.

"You want to talk to me?" Desdemona repeated. "Sure, what's on your mind?"

"Well, I think I'm going to need some of your divination powers," Garfield said.

"You do?!" Desdemona exclaimed eagerly. "I mean, that can be arranged. What would you like to know?"

"It's about my brother," Garfield sighed. "He was eliminated before I got a chance to talk to him, and so I still don't know what went wrong between us. Is there any way you can tell me what is happening with him?"

"Well…I'll need to have a look at your palm," Desdemona replied.

Garfield held out his hand and Desdemona quickly began examining it.

"Ah yes, very interesting indeed," she exclaimed. "You say that you don't know what went wrong between you and your brother, but isn't it true that the two of you are somewhat distant?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say distant," Garfield replied. "I mean, I've been busy…doing things."

"Making a name for yourself, bettering the world, all that," Desdemona finished.

"And that didn't leave any time for my brother," Garfield sighed.

"Exactly," Desdemona added. "He may not be the same person that you remember. When was the last time the two of you actually had a conversation?"

"Well…we've talked," Garfield answered.

"But a conversation?" Desdemona asked.

"No…not really," Garfield sighed.

"Well, then there's your problem," Desdemona declared. "You can't expect to have a healthy relationship with your brother when there's barely and relationship between the two of you."

"Thanks, Desdemona, I think I have an idea on what I have to do now," Garfield said. "You're the best psychic."

"Well, I'm just here to help," Desdemona replied

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I didn't help Garfield, I just prompted him into figuring something out. I mean, it doesn't take a psychic to figure out that a celebrity like him isn't going to have a lot of time for his brother.

**Garfield-**Next time I see Timmy I'm going to take the first step to repairing our relationship.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Keith had moved to a different tree, this time deeper in the woods. He had pulled out a notebook and pencil and was currently writing something.

"That should just about do it," he declared to himself.

He then waited for his target to arrive. It didn't take long for Matilda to walk by, since it was her turn to harvest berries. She located the bush covered in fruit right underneath the tree and began plucking the berries. Keith tore out the note and let it float down towards her. By the time she saw it and looked up, he was gone.

"Hm, what's this?" Matilda muttered. "Someone's writing me, like, a letter?"

She picked up the paper and saw what was written.

"The finest rose could never compare to your sweet lips," she read aloud. "The deepest ocean could never match your beautiful eyes. You are perfection in every way; will you let me call you mine? Love, Jojo."

Matilda paused for a second to make sure she had read it correctly.

"Eeee, this is, like, totally the sweetest thing I've ever, ever read!" she squealed in delight.

She quickly turned back and rushed to camp. Once there she easily spotted Jojo and wrapped her arms around him.

"You are, like, totally the nicest, sweetest, bestest, guy in the whole wide world!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Jojo replied.

"I'll, like, totally be your girl," Matilda said as she kissed Jojo on the cheek.

"Cool," Jojo replied nonchalantly.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Free verse poetry: it takes no talent, but the girls fall head over heels for it. Once Chelsea finds out that Matilda 'stole' her boy, well, I think it's safe to say that'll be the end of that friendship.

**Matilda-**I know that Chelsea kinda had a crush on Jojo, but it's clear that I'm the one Jojo wants. I'm not complaining though.

**Jojo-**Girls are always throwing themselves over me; it's nothing new. If it sticks for a while, cool; if not, that's also cool.

* * *

"Attention campers!" Chris's voice blared as he soared over in a helicopter. "Incoming delivery!"

Two more TVs dropped down on the two camps. The Raging River one was headed right for Misha. She instinctively front flipped out of the way. She then hastily glanced around to make sure that no one had seen her.

"I thought we we're done with these pieces of junk," Chelsea remarked as she arrived with the rest of the team.

Meanwhile, the Monster Mountain TV was headed right for Jojo.

"Like, look out!" Matilda exclaimed.

"No worries," Jojo replied as he reached upwards and stopped the TV before it hit him.

"Wow, you are, like, so, so, so amazing," Matilda praised.

"No need to remind me," Jojo said with a grin.

He put the TV down as the rest of the team arrived.

"Greetings, everyone!" Chris said as he appeared on the screen. "Today, once again, we'll be doing a drama challenge. This time you get to pick whatever movie you want to act out, but you won't be given any props. No scripts, no costumes, no nothing; you'll have to make the scene believable straight from scratch. Plus, we've got another celebrity judge—"

Chris was shoved out of the way by a blond woman in a red dress.

"That would be me, Blaineley Stacey Andrews O'Halloran," the woman announced. "Hostess of Celebrity Manhunt and all around superstar. Let me tell you, I know talent, so you brats better really bring it if you even want to a passable grade from me."

"That's nice, Blaineley," Chris said as he shoved her aside again. "So, you have until later this afternoon to put together something."

"And it'd better be good," Blaineley added. "I didn't come here to be bored half to death."

"This message will not self-destruct," Chris concluded.

"Oh, you said _not _self-destruct?" Blaineley asked slightly guiltily.

Suddenly both TVs exploded.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Great, another stupid acting challenge. Well I'd better not be getting the role as sweet little girl again because I am f**king sick of that.

**Chelsea-**Oh this is so great, with Rusty gone now's my chance to really shine.

**Jojo-**Aw man, not another one of these. Chris, this is supposed to be survival of the strongest, not survival of the wimpy actors.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"So, what will we be doing?" Keith asked.

"This is an important decision," Stanley said. "It needs to be something we can pull off, while still impressing Blaineley."

"I hope you're not expecting me to do anything," Pamela scoffed as she left the group.

"Believe me, we all know that you're not actually part of this team," Calvin scoffed. "It'll be that much easier to eliminate you if we lose."

"So, we've got to do something awesome and full of action," Jojo said. "Something with guns, and explosions, and fighting."

"Ooh, ooh, pick me, I have, like, the best idea ever!" Matilda exclaimed.

"What is it?" Jojo asked.

"Star Wars!" Matilda exclaimed. "It'll be, like, so awesome. I've always wanted to, like, try out my Princess Leia hairdo, and now I finally can."

"Star Wars is lame," Calvin scoffed. "We'll look like a bunch of dorks if we go out and do that."

"Please, oh please, oh pretty, pretty please," Matilda begged to Jojo as she made a puppy face. "I really, really, really want to."

"Uh…sure, we can do it," Jojo said.

"What?" Calvin snapped.

"Come on, Cal, it can't be that bad," Jojo said. "You could be a pretty cool Jedi or something."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**What the hell was that?! Jojo and Matilda are supposed to be doing what I say, because I am the leader. Me!

**Matilda-**Star Wars is, like, the best ever. It's got this princess with, like, really cool hair and…some other stuff.

**Jojo-**Hey, I'd like to see you say no to Matilda. She is just so sweet.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Okay, team, it's time to really pull together and make something amazing," Chelsea exclaimed. "I know we can do it."

"Sounds good," Ilona said. "What ideas do you have?"

"Well, we need to something with emotion, you know, heart," Chelsea said.

"I like the sound of that," Garfield said. "Something touching and classy."

"Something rich with culture," Desdemona added.

"Misha, are you good with all this?" Chelsea asked.

"Oh…yes, I love romance and all that…sweet stuff," Misha answered.

"Great, so what movie matches these criteria?" Ilona asked.

The five paused and thought in silence.

"Oh, I've got it!" Chelsea exclaimed. "Pride and Prejudice. It's got love, emotion, class, culture, everything we need to win Blaineley over."

"Alright, I guess we'll need to pick characters," Desdemona said.

"Well, obviously Garfield will have to play Mr. Darcy," Chelsea exclaimed. "Even if he wasn't the only guy left, he's still the classiest person here."

"Thank you," Garfield said with a smile. "I'll try my best to pull it off."

"Now, I know everyone is going to want to be Elizabeth," Chelsea said. "But I really want thing I could do it the best. Is that okay with everyone?"

"Sure," Desdemona shrugged.

"Why not?" Ilona added.

"Go for it," Misha said.

"Wow, that was easy," Chelsea exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Great, just great. We're going some piece of s**t sappy show. This is going to suck.

**Chelsea-**Back at school I always have to fight for the lead roles in the musicals. These girls don't seem as concerned about that.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Jojo had grabbed a stick and was swinging it around like a sword—or a lightsaber.

"Look at me, I'm Chewbacca!" he exclaimed.

"You go, Wookie!" Matilda cheered.

"Hate to burst your bubble, but Chewbacca's not a Jedi," Keith pointed out.

"So?" Jojo shrugged. "Who says we can't change it?"

"Not to mention, no one cares!" Calvin snapped. "Only dorks and nerds would point out something like that."

"I think it's pretty common knowledge," Keith said dryly.

Matilda had let her hair down now and was in the process of wrapping it in swirls with elastics.

"So, you're going to need a Darth Vader to fight," Keith said to Jojo.

"I nominate Stanley," Jojo said.

"Why me?" Stanley asked pretending to be offended.

"Duh, because you're evil," Jojo pointed out.

"Yeah, you're, like, totally CPN right now, Matilda added.

"What did she call me?" Stanley asked.

Keith just shrugged.

"Fine, I'll play the villain," Stanley said as he picked up a stick. "Bring it on."

Jojo charged at him and swung his own stick. Stanley countered easily with each strike. Eventually he got bored of just blocking and knocked Jojo stick right out of his hand.

"And you're dead," Stanley declared.

"Hey, that's not supposed to happen," Jojo pouted. "The good guy's supposed to win."

"But Chewbacca never dueled with Darth Vader," Keith insisted.

"Keith's right, if we're changing it up, anything goes," Stanley laughed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**Fights are supposed to be with wimpy sticks. They're supposed to be with two guys and their fists. If I was actually fighting Stanley I'd be on top of him in a second…wait that didn't sound gay, did it?

**Stanley-**Jojo has no skill when it comes to dueling. His strategy is pure brute force.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Alright, so we've got our roles sorted out," Chelsea said. "Desdemona, you'll be Jane, Ilona, you'll be Kitty, and Misha, you'll be Lydia. Everyone got it?"

Everyone nodded.

"Okay, so in this scene, we're all at the ball when Mr. Darcy walks in," Chelsea explained. "Kitty and Lydia you just talk about girl stuff, while Jane and I go to meet Mr. Darcy."

Ilona and Misha looked at each other slightly uneasily.

"So…uh, malls, shopping, shoes," Misha tried.

"Yeah, um, magazines, fashion, makeup," Ilona also tried.

Meanwhile, Chelsea and Desdemona walked over to Garfield.

"Greetings, Mr. Darcy," Desdemona greeted.

"Hello, Miss Bennet," Garfield replied.

"Okay, okay, okay, hold on," Chelsea exclaimed. "I think this would be the perfect time for a dance break."

"Oh god, no," Desdemona groaned as she slapped her forehead. "Did you not remember what happened last time?"

"Come on, I know it'll bring down the house," Chelsea insisted. "We won last time, didn't we?"

"I'm sorry, but what is this?" Ilona asked.

"Chelsea seems to think that we need to muddle up the entire plot with a dance sequence," Desdemona explained.

"I think I might be with Desdemona on this," Ilona said. "That might just make things confusing."

"No, I promise it'll be just the thing needed to win the challenge," Chelsea pleaded. "Come on, we're at a ball, there's supposed to be dancing."

"Well…I guess we could give it a shot," Ilona gave in.

"Super, let's get into position!" Chelsea exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Last time we won by complete, absolute, sheer luck. And guess what? If we lose this time, I'm a prime candidate for elimination. I've got to do something about this.

**Chelsea-**This is going to be so great that they're going to have to give me a Tony Award for it.

**Ilona-**I haven't exactly lived as a normal teenage girl. Forgive me if I don't exactly know how to act.

**Misha-**Now there's dancing? Oh God, just kill me now.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Jojo and Stanley were continuing to duel. Jojo had lost seven times in a row, but was determined to best Stanley at least once.

"Well, while those two showboats are busy, we need to think up parts for the rest of us," Keith said. "I'm thinking Calvin and I could be the robots, R2-D2 and C3PO."

"No way," Calvin declared. "No freaking way. I am not going to be affiliated with this geekfest."

"Oh, I've got, like, just the thing for you," Matilda exclaimed as she reached into her pocket. "Gold makeup, it'll make you look perfect."

"Are you kidding, get that away from me!" Calvin cried as Matilda chased after him.

Keith just sighed and shook his head. He then glanced at Stanley and Jojo. Jojo was getting frustrated now. He swung his stick with fury and he desperately tried to hit Stanley.

"Die, die, die!" he cried as he slammed the sticks together over and over again.

Stanley stepped to the side and tripped him.

"Once again, you lose," Stanley feigned a yawn.

"This is unfair!" Jojo pouted as he snapped his stick over his knee

Matilda meanwhile had pinned Calvin down and was painting the gold over his face.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**(with a gold face) This is so ridiculous. I'm going out there, on international television, looking like this? I'll become a laughingstock.

**Pamela-**I don't even need to screw with the team, they're doing a fine job on their own.

**Matilda-**Stanley is, like, such a bully. We can't he just leave Jojo alone?

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"And left, and right, and twirl and switch places," Chelsea exclaimed. "Come on, people, it needs to be flawless."

The other four moved back and forth clumsily.

"This is exactly why I was against this," Desdemona said. "We're just wasting time."

"Well, we've already spent too much time to stop now," Chelsea argued. "So, let's just keep working on it. Misha, you're going to want to keep your hands stretched out more, Ilona make sure you step on the beat, not the offbeat, Desdemona keep your movements fluid."

Desdemona grumbled and rolled her eyes.

"Five, six, seven, eight!" Chelsea exclaimed. "And left, and right, and forward and back, back."

The team went through the movements in semi-unison. Misha moved quicker than others, while Desdemona was always a stick behind.

"Whoa!" Ilona exclaimed as she slipped and fell to the ground.

"That's okay," Chelsea said. "We'll just take it from the top. From the top, people!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**You'd think that martial arts and dance would be similar, but there's a world of difference.

**Chelsea-**Okay, so the team might not be Broadway material yet, I think they could get there if they really try.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Matilda had finished her hairdo, while Calvin had a face of gold now. He looked very unhappy with it.

"So, we'll open the scene with me and Calvin," Keith explained. "Then switch to a battle between Jojo and Stanley."

"And Jojo will rescue me!" Matilda concluded. "Which means you have to, like, let Jojo win."

"But it's so much fun," Stanley said with a smile.

"No one is letting me win," Jojo sneered. "I've just been holding back, you know, to save my energy for the real show. As if you could actually beat me. I'll crush you without any help."

"Whatever you say," Stanley said with a mocking grin.

"Attention campers!" Chris's voice announced. "It's time to start the performances. Please report to the Dock of Shame."

"And I hope you've all got tough skin, because I'm not holding back on my criticisms," Blaineley added.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Well, this is it. Hopefully everything will come together.

**Chelsea-**This is going to be sweet.

**Desdemona-**This is going to be a fail.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

"Well, what's taking them so long?!" Blaineley snapped. "I don't have all day."

"Um, we just made the announcement a couple of minutes ago," Chris pointed out.

"That's no excuse to keep someone like me waiting," Blaineley huffed.

The teams eventually arrived together.

"Ah, glad that you could make it," Chris exclaimed. "Since they got to go second last time, let's start with the Monster Mountains this time. You'll be performing up front; Rivers, you can sit along the dock."

The Raging Rivers filed onto the dock while the Mountains got into position for their scene.

"So, what B grade movie did you losers pick?" Blaineley asked.

"Only the superest B grade movie ever," Matilda exclaimed. "Star Wars!"

Blaineley tsked to herself as she made notes.

"Um, the play hasn't started yet," Keith said quizzically.

"But my judgement has," Blaineley declared. "You may begin."

Keith and Calvin stepped forward. Calvin looked incredibly miserable to be seen with gold makeup over his face.

"Beep beep, boop, woo," Keith exclaimed.

"Oh, you're right R2," Calvin muttered without any emotion. "Princess Leia has been kidnapped by Darth Vader. Whatever shall we do?"

Stanley stepped forward with Matilda, as the two boys moved to the side.

"Ha, no one can stop me now," Stanley exclaimed.

"Chewbacca will save me!" Matilda cried.

"That's right," Jojo exclaimed. "It is I, Chewbacca, to the rescue."

Both Jojo and Stanley pulled out their sticks. Jojo charged at Stanley and brought his stick down at him. Stanley deflected and moved to the side. Jojo continued to swing while grunting angrily each time. It soon came clear to Stanley that he could easily win again. However, he decided to it would be for the best to just let Jojo win.

He let his stick slide out of his hand and said, "You have bested me."

"No surprise there," Jojo laughed as he smacked Stanley painfully across the nose.

"Ow," Stanley groaned as he dropped to the ground.

"And now the lovely Princess Leia is safe at last," Jojo exclaimed.

"My hero," Matilda said as they ran into an embrace.

They shared a loving kiss before taking a bow. Chelsea was sure to notice it.

"Well…that was somewhere between so-so and average," Blaineley remarked. "You seemed to have the right idea, but the fighting felt incredibly forced."

Stanley shrugged guiltily.

"However, on the plus side C3PO seemed very in character," Blaineley continued.

"I did?" Calvin asked surprised.

"Let's see, what else?" Blaineley muttered to herself.

"Don't forget the fact that Chewbacca never did any of that stuff," Pamela whispered to Blaineley.

"Ah, yes thank you, Pamela," Blaineley exclaimed. "Where did that come from? Chewbacca is Princess Leia's hero. I mean, you have so many other good options, why go with that furball? Anyways, I'll give you a pass, but just barely."

"Well, then now it's all depending on the Raging Rivers," Chris said. "If they can do better then they'll be winning immunity, but if they fail then the Monster Mountains will be safe. Rivers, come on up."

The Mountains went to sit on the dock while the Rivers moved up front.

"Our scene shall be from Pride and Prejudice," Chelsea announced.

"What coincidence, I have both," Blaineley replied.

The team got into position with the girls on one side and Garfield on the other side. Chelsea and Desdemona broke away from the group to see Garfield.

"Oh look, Jane, it's Mr. Darcy," Chelsea exclaimed.

"Be careful, Lizzy, I heard that he's not the most social of men," Desdemona replied.

"Greetings, Mr. Darcy," Chelsea said.

"Hello, Miss Bennet," Garfield replied.

"And five, six, seven, eight!" Chelsea exclaimed.

Desdemona sighed as they broke into dance. While they had improved somewhat, it still looked very sloppy. Desdemona shot a quick glance at Blaineley and noticed that the judge looked very confused.

"Stop everything!" Desdemona shouted.

Everyone froze in shock.

"Time for the monologue," Desdemona declared. "Oh, Mr. Darcy, it's so unfair. All my life, I've dreamed of meeting a man like him. I don't know if it's his rugged looks or his sharp tongue, but I love Mr. Darcy."

Desdemona faked wiping a tear away.

"And yet, he only has eyes for Elizabeth," she continued dramatically. "My sister. All this time, people have called me the pretty one, the kind one, the one who is sure to find a husband. And maybe that's true, but what if I don't want any husband? What if it's Mr. Darcy I love? What is a poor girl to do?!"

She dropped down to her knees emotionally.

"Oh why are you so cruel, fate!?" she exclaimed. "I know that it's wrong for me to feel this way, but I can't help it. I am in love with Mr. Darcy…but he'll never know."

She then stood up and took a bow.

"Oh…beautiful," Blaineley exclaimed as she put her hand over her heart. "Absolutely breathtaking. That was the best faking of emotion I've ever seen."

"I think it's clear that we have our winners," Chris exclaimed.

"But we didn't even finish my dance number," Chelsea complained.

"Hey, here's a tip from showbiz," Blaineley said. "Dance only works if you have a team of trained professionals…or a team of dance-bots, like I have."

"Don't worry, Chelsea, we won and that's what matters," Garfield said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I couldn't help but notice that Matilda and Jojo once again seemed pretty into their 'fake' kiss. I guess they could just be good actors, but I don't like this.

**Ilona-**It's a good thing Desdemona knows how to improvise. I really didn't think that dance thing was going to work out.

**Calvin-**I did a good job at playing a Star Wars character? Oh, the boys at home are never going to let me live this down.

**Stanley-**(holding his nose) I let Jojo win and this is how he repays me? Yeah, I'm totally the villain here.

**Jojo-**Ha, I showed that wimp how it's done.

* * *

(Monster Mountains Camp)

The team had returned to plan out their votes. Or at least, some had. Matilda was having too much fun cuddling up against Jojo.

"You are, like, so soft right here," she giggled.

Calvin looked at them with annoyance. When he turned around he came face to face with Keith.

"Hey, I've got a proposition for you," Keith said.

"Forget it," Calvin scoffed. "We're voting out Pamela. She didn't do anything at all this challenge, and the sad part is, that's actually a good thing for us."

"Hang on, I think you should listen to what I have to say," Keith insisted. "Your biggest threat right now is Matilda."

"What? She's a dimwit," Calvin scoffed.

"Come on, you can't be so blind to not see that she's starting some kind of romance with Jojo," Keith said. "This means that she's going to have control over him, more control than you do."

"What?!" Calvin snapped.

"Just get rid of her now," Keith said. "If you do it early, it'll be easier for Jojo to forget about her."

"I'll think about it," Calvin said.

Keith then departed into the forest. He spotted Pamela and tapped on her shoulder.

"What?" she barked.

But he just guided her over to where Stanley was waiting.

"Alright guys, I think that we've got the majority today," Keith said. "I've done what I can to divide the vote among the others, now we just need to decide who we're voting for."

"I think it's pretty obvious, Calvin," Stanley said. "We've been voting for him every time. He seriously needs to go."

"Okay, I can work with that," Keith said. "Pamela, any input?"

"What am I? Your servant?" Pamela scoffed. "I'll vote for whoever I damn well feel like."

Pamela then marched off.

"She'll vote with us," Keith assured Stanley. "She hates Calvin and wants him gone just as much."

Pamela left the forest to go back to the main clearing. There she found Calvin, Jojo, and Matilda sitting in a circle and discussing.

"What are you doing here?" Matilda sneered.

"I'm here to offer you a deal," Pamela said. "Because even if Keith wasn't running rings around you, you'd still only have half the votes."

"Keith's doing what now?" Jojo asked.

"Never mind," Pamela scoffed. "The point is that I'm going to give you a chance to gain the majority. I'll vote with you if you vote out either Stanley or Keith."

"Definitely Stanley," Jojo said. "That guy is making me sick."

"But why should we, like, trust you?" Matilda asked.

"Fine, don't trust me, what do I care?" Pamela scoffed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**Sometimes irony can be so cruel. I can't stand Pamela, and I'd love to vote her off, but if I want to see Calvin gone I need her…

**Keith-**I could just get rid of Matilda, but I think I've already taken care of her.

**Pamela-**I'm going to break those two 'lovers' up. Hey, they're going to get hurt sooner or later, I'm doing them a favour.

**Matilda-**I really, really, really don't like Pamela. You could say, she's, like, my arch-nemesis. But, I think Jojo would rather get rid of Stanley. Hm, what to do?

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

The Monster Mountains arrived together. Several of them we're glaring at each other.

"You are going down tonight, Stanley," Jojo taunted Stanley.

"I could, if that's what you're in to," Stanley replied.

"Ew, no, that's not what I meant," Jojo exclaimed. "You suck!"

"Again, I could if that's what you want," Stanley countered.

"Make it stop!" Jojo cried.

"Alright, losers, shut up and let's get this over with," Blaineley said as she stood at the front of the dock. "McClean is busy, so I thought I'd show him how a real host does it. Anyways, when you get your stupid pinecone, you're safe…first up, Kithe!"

"It's pronounced Keith," Keith said as he caught the pinecone.

"Yeah, sure whatever," Blaineley scoffed. "Next, Joseph."

Jojo blushed red at the use of his real name. Once he caught his pinecone, this left Pamela, Stanley, Calvin, and Matilda all waiting nervously. Pamela was staring at Stanley, who was staring at Calvin, who was starting at Matilda. Matilda was humming to herself and looking out at space.

"And this pinecone goes to Pameela," Blaineley continued. "So, it'd down to you three chumps, is it?"

"I've survived every single time I've ended up down here," Calvin boasted. "I don't think that tonight will be any different."

"Why would people vote for me?" Matilda exclaimed. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Don't sweat it, here's your pinecone," Blaineley said. "Now that just leaves Kelvin and Stonley."

Both of them remained unfazed.

"Okay, the last pinecone goes to," Blaineley concluded. "…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Kelvin!"

"What?" Keith exclaimed. "What? No, this wasn't supposed to happen! This isn't what I wanted!"

"Aw, the baby didn't get what he wanted," Pamela mocked.

"You did this?!" Keith exclaimed.

"Love the drama, but I do have a job to do here," Blaineley said. "Stonley, and last words?"

"Just best of luck to Keith," Stanley said.

"Okay, you're out of here!" Blaineley exclaimed as she launched him. "And so am I."

Blaineley then hopped into a motorboat and zoomed off across the lake

* * *

(Raging Rivers Camp)

"Well team, even if it didn't go as expected, I think we should still be proud that we've pulled off another win," Chelsea said. "You're all my friends and I'd hate to have to vote any of you off before the merge."

The team split up as they returned to their camp. As usual, Desdemona was sitting alone. However, it wasn't long before Garfield sat down next to her.

"Hey, good job at the challenge today," he said. "You really saved us."

"Well, like I said, I'm always here to help," Desdemona replied. "As long as I'm here, I'll do my best to help my teammates."

She did all she could to not add, "hint, hint."

"That's the spirit," Garfield said. "Let's hope we can keep it up."

As Garfield left, he ran into Chelsea.

"Do you like her?" Chelsea asked.

"She seems like a good friend," Garfield shrugged. "She did save us today."

"No, she ruined my dance number so she could do her little monologue," Chelsea said. "She just has to be in the center of the spotlight."

"Whoa, whoa, what happened to everyone's your friends?" Garfield asked.

"Oh, she's still my friend," Chelsea assured. "She just needs to stop acting so weird or else I'll have no choice but to vote her out."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I'm just in a bit of a bad mood right now. I'd like to be friends with Desdemona, but I just don't think she likes me, and I don't really like her.

**Desdemona-**Well, isn't this a nice little slice of irony? Garfield is probably my biggest target right now, and he's the one person who seems to respect me. I'll work through this…I always do.

**Garfield-**Desdemona may be a little strange, but like she said, she just wants to help. I think that's good enough for me.

* * *

**Votes:**

**Matilda-**Like, I guess I'll vote out Stanley. I want to make Jojo happy.

**Pamela-**I warned you, didn't I, Stanley. This 'relationship' is doomed.

**Stanley-**I've said Calvin so many times that it's starting to lose meaning.

**Calvin-**Sorry, Matilda, but no one steals my domain.

**Jojo-**Stanley, you are a freak of nature. Get out.

**Keith-**And with Calvin gone, another obstacle shall be removed for me.

* * *

(Conclusion)

Chris had returned and was once again standing at the Dock of Shame.

"Well, looks like Keith wasn't prepared for everything," Chris said. "With Stanley gone, Keith will have to change up his strategy. He's not the only one in trouble, though; Desdemona still hasn't gotten herself out of trouble. Can she turn Garfield to her side? Find out more on the next Total…Drama…Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"Whoa!" Stanley exclaimed as he landed in the sand.

He got up and brushed himself off.

"Hey," he muttered as he looked around, "this isn't—"

"Sign's over there," Rusty interrupted as he pointed at the sign.

"Ah, I see," Stanley said as he ran over it.

He then looked around at the contestants. Riley was sleeping in the shelter, Shannon was lying out in the sand, Rusty was sitting on a rock, and Esme was just staring into the sky.

"Hey, where's Sasha?" he asked.

"She went to some evil temple," Rusty said. "She's probably dead by now. Trust me, I went in there and it's not fun."

"What?" Stanley exclaimed. "I have to go help her."

Meanwhile, deep in the dark parts of the jungle, Elijah and Timothy were hiding. They had landed in a pitch black hole earlier and now had to hide from the vicious spiders. They had spent the entire day crawling through tunnels and trying to stay out of the spiders' way.

"Shh, what's that?" Elijah exclaimed as they both crouched behind some rocks. "It's getting closer."

The sound of eight hairy legs scurrying across the ground grew louder and louder. Suddenly a monstrous spider leapt over the rocks and at Elijah's face. He screamed, but Timothy instantly slammed a rock into the spider's head.

"Keep calm," Timothy said nervously. "We'll get out of here, I promise."

In another underground part of the island, Sasha was having difficulties putting up with Jason.

"Stop, stop! There's another trap," she exclaimed.

Jason stopped just in time to avoid behind sliced in half.

"You see, I'm not having any trouble," Jason said. "How much closer to the treasure."

"We're not going to the treasure, we're going to the exit," Sasha declared.

"What!? No fair!" Jason pouted.

Sasha grumbled to herself as she dragged him along the floor. Soon she had arrived at the collapsed exit.

"Now, I'm going to dig us a way out of here," Sasha said. "Can I trust that you won't touch anything or shall I tie you up?"

Jason just grumbled under his breath. Sasha began pulling away the rubble, but soon found that it was being removed from the other end as well. The way out was cleared and she looked up to see Stanley.

"Sir Stanley!" she exclaimed as she crawled out and pulled him into a hug. "I have missed you dearly."

"I feel the same way," Stanley laughed. "You have no idea how drab it feels without you."

"But…this means that you have been defeated!" Sasha gasped. "What scoundrel did this to you?"

"Hey, don't worry," Stanley said. "We can get back. We just need to work together and find those idols."

"That is true," Sasha replied. "And with my true squire at my side nothing shall stop us now!"

_Author's Note: There goes the character who was probably the most popular. The thing about characters is that you never know how they're going to turn out. I had Stanley planned as being a lot more one note, but he evolved differently. Hope you're not too mad that he's been eliminated._


	16. A Pirate's Life For Me

"Last time on Total Drama Stranded," Chris went through with his usual narration, "we brought back our good friend, Blaineley, to judge another drama presentation. The Monster Mountains did Star Wars, while the Raging Rivers did Pride and Prejudice. Both groups hit their bumps, but the Rivers were saved when Desdemona took center stage to adlib a monologue. It was a close call at elimination, but due to Pamela's bitterness, Stanley got the boot. Well, at least Jojo can sleep easier now. We've got another challenge and another elimination to get to today so keep watching Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"Now swing, and jump, and dodge to the left," Sasha exclaimed as she practiced dueling with Stanley. "You must be quick if you wish to make it through the temple alive."

The two had gotten up early to spar with sticks. Sasha insisted that her squire get into the best of shape. Rusty, meanwhile, was moping as he sat on a rock. He traced his finger through the sand as he grumbled about the idol he had lost. He heard a squeaking sound and turned to see a raccoon staring at him.

"Aurelius says that he expects what you promised him," Esme said, suddenly appearing on the other side of Rusty.

"Yeah, well I can't very well get that without an idol," Rusty pouted.

Aurelius chittered something.

"He says, then you should get an idol," Esme translated.

"Yeah right," Rusty scoffed. "I dropped it in that temple of doom. How am I supposed to take on that when even the crazy girl can't?"

Aurelius continued to chitter and squeak.

"Aurelius asks if you are not her superior," Esme relayed.

"Well…yeah, obviously," Rusty said.

"And he also asks if you cannot do anything she can," Esme continued.

"Of course, no one can match my skill," Rusty boasted.

"Then Aurelius would like to know why you are getting that idol right now," Esme concluded.

"Hey, that squirrel's right, let's get that idol," Rusty declared as he marched off into the jungle.

Aurelius scampered after him and Esme slowly followed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Sasha-**I've journeyed into that temple several times, and it always ends in trouble. This time I want my squire to be prepared for whatever is in there.

**Stanley-**It's surprisingly refreshing to be out here. Sasha's presence is something that I really missed.

**Rusty-**I don't know what I was thinking. Nothing is stopping me from getting back into this game!

* * *

Deep underground, Timothy and Elijah were huddled together in a cave.

"We're just going deeper and deeper," Elijah sobbed. "We're going to be stuck down here forever."

"It has to lead somewhere," Timothy said not sounding too confident. "Wherever it is, I think it's better than where we came from."

The two boys continued to crawl through the darkness. Eventually they spotted something.

"It looks like light is coming from that direction," Timothy exclaimed.

Quickly they shuffled towards the dim stream of light.

"Careful, careful," Timothy cautioned as he gestured at more spider webs lining the ground.

They slowed their progress, being careful not to touch the wispy web. Eventually they were able to see where the light was coming from. It was a crack leading up to the surface.

"Okay, I think we can climb up through here," Timothy said.

Elijah, however, had his attention focused on something else.

"Look," he exclaimed.

Lying just a few feet in front of them was a wooden totem shaped like Chris.

"It's what we've been looking for," he exclaimed. "This is my ticket back into the game."

He walked over to it and reached out to grab it.

"Look out!" Timothy exclaimed as he pushed him out of the way.

A net sprung down right over the idol. Elijah had been saved, but Timothy was caught now.

"I knew this would come in handy," Briony exclaimed as she climbed down the wall. "It's the perfect piece of bait."

She reached into the net and picked up the idol.

"However, I will be the one to return to the game," she declared. "So I can get my revenge on everyone still left in the game."

Timothy began struggling against the web to no avail.

"Don't bother," Briony said. "Nothing can break out of this."

"Please don't hurt us," Elijah exclaimed as he kneeled at her feet. "I swear, I'll do anything for you."

"I'm not going to hurt you…yet," Briony declared. "In fact, I'll even give you a chance. Go, leave, get others. Your friend will remain unharmed until nightfall. You have until then to save him."

"I…I…" Elijah stuttered.

"Go!" Timothy ordered.

"Right, leaving now!" Elijah exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Briony-**No one can stop my invincible army. When Elijah brings others, he'll just be luring them right into my trap.

**Elijah-**If I ever survive this, I'm going to use all my money to get Briony a psychiatrist…or a whole team of psychiatrists.

* * *

(Raging Rivers Camp)

Ilona as usual was jogging through the forest. She paused at the riverside to go through with some other exercises. As she was sitting down and stretching her legs, Garfield approached her.

"Good morning, Ilona," he greeted as he sat down next to her.

"Oh, hello," she greeted.

"Are you getting ready for today's challenge?" Garfield asked.

"Well, that's part of the reason," Ilona said. "But it's really just a routine that I go through every day. It helps to clear my mind and think straight."

"You seem to take it very seriously," Garfield noted.

"Oh yes," Ilona replied. "A couple years back it was pretty much all I had to keep me from going over the deep end."

Garfield raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"I made a lot of stupid choices," Ilona sighed regretfully.

"I'm sorry," Garfield quickly apologized. "Maybe you don't want to talk about this."

"No, no, I've accepted what happened," Ilona said. "And you're a good friend, you deserve to know my story. Like I said, I made some bad choices; I spent a lot of time going to parties, getting drunk or high. My parents eventually got fed up and told me to get out. For a while, I had nowhere to go and was just living on the streets, trying to survive. I realized that I had seriously screwed up my life, and I needed to save myself. It wasn't easy, God, it wasn't easy, but I made it. I spent a lot of my time at a rundown, all-night gym. It didn't cost anything to get in, and I could just lose myself, training in martial arts."

Eventually Ilona just sighed, "Look at me, I'm rambling here."

"I don't mind," Garfield said. "If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"Well, that's about it, mainly," Ilona said. "But I'm sure it's the kind of thing that you wouldn't exactly understand."

"I'll admit I've never gone through anything like you, but I do know suffering," Garfield said. "I've dedicated a good portion of my life to helping those less fortunate than me. That's not to say that I haven't had my misery of my own."

"Is this going to be one of those Prince and the Pauper stories?" Ilona asked with a slight smile.

"Well, I wouldn't say that I'd like to give it all up," Garfield said, "but it would be nice to take some time off from being a celebrity."

"I agree," Ilona said. "I wouldn't want to give up my experiences, but I'd certainly not want to go through with them again."

The two smiled at each other. From a distance, Desdemona noticed this.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Great, it looks like these two are just getting tighter. That's just one more alliance I'll have to deal with.

**Ilona-**I've accepted my history, but that doesn't make it any less painful. It feels good to have a friend like Garfield around, you'd be surprised at how rare someone like that really is.

**Garfield-**If I win the prize, I really hope that Ilona at least gets second place. If not, I'll have to donate some of the prize to her, she needs it bad.

* * *

(Monster Mountain Camp)

Keith was in deep thought as he sat on the edge of a branch. He was in the process of re-evaluating his entire strategy. Eventually, he decided to he had a new schema planned out well enough. He dropped down to the ground, but found that he wasn't quite alone.

"Well, look who it is," Pamela sneered.

"I have nothing to say to you," Keith said coldly as he tried to get past her.

"Well, I've got plenty to say to you," Pamela countered.

"You betrayed me, as far as you're concerned, you will be leaving next," Keith declared.

"I think that you're just jealous that I got to stab Stanley in the back before you did," Pamela said.

"What?" Keith snapped.

"Don't play the victim role, it really bothers me," Pamela said. "You were just using Stanley, in the same way that you plan on using everyone in this game. You tell everyone, 'I'm just playing the other side for information,' but that's bull! You just want to have everyone in your pocket. And now you're just mad because I'm not falling for it."

"Fine, believe that if you want," Keith shrugged. "But between the two of us, I think we both know who has it better with the others."

The two went their separate ways, both shooting a quick glare at the other.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Last night, for the first time, things didn't go as planned and as a result I lost my closest ally. That's okay, I can adapt, but Pamela has proven to be much, much more dangerous than I first suspected. She must be dealt with before she can cause any more damage.

**Pamela-**Why is everyone so stupid in this game?! I can see perfectly well when someone's putting on an act, yet everyone else just eats it up. You know, I bet I could get to the finals without even trying, just because everyone here is a f**king idiot.

* * *

(Raging Rivers Camp)

Misha had finished cooking the fish, but didn't call the others. Instead she glanced around and saw that she was alone. Carefully she tiptoed away from the fire.

"Oh, Misha, there you are!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"Dammit," Misha hissed under her breath.

"I'm so glad I found you, I need a good girlfriend to hang with," Chelsea said as she pulled Misha over. "I need some girl to girl advice."

"That's really not my strong suit," Misha said as she took Chelsea's hand off of her shoulder.

"Oh, just hear my story, and if think of anything at all to say that'll be enough," Chelsea said as she sat down with Misha. "So, here's the thing. As I think is no big secret, I've got this little crush on Jojo. I mean he is just super dreamy, and a total badass, and…"

Misha rolled her eyes in intense boredom as Chelsea continued to list off what she found attractive about Jojo.

"…anyways, the point I'm getting at," she continued, "is that lately I've been noticing him and Matilda getting a little close. It started with that romance challenge where they had to kiss, and that was okay, I guess. And then they kissed again in the drama challenge, and they really seemed to be mean. I suppose this could just be my imagination, like Matilda wouldn't betray me like that."

"I'm sure it's all fine," Misha said as she tried to get away.

"I'm just worried," Chelsea continued. "I mean, it must be pretty impossible to resist a boy like that, and she's spending all her time with him now. If only it had been me who got switched, then I'd probably be hand in hand with Jojo right now."

"I'm sure you would bye!" Misha said quickly as she left Chelsea alone.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**Holy crap, that girl can whine. As soon as I make it to the merge I'm voting her outta here.

* * *

(Monster Mountains Camp)

Matilda and Jojo were both strolling along the campsite.

"I am, like, so, so glad that we got together like this," Matilda exclaimed. "You are like perfection in every way."

"So, does that mean that I'm perfect physically?" Jojo prompted, enjoying the praise.

"Oh, of course, you have the most fantastic body out of any of the guys here," Matilda exclaimed.

"Well, that's no competition," Jojo laughed.

"And your hair looks just marvelous, and it' clearly natural that way," Matilda continued. "And of course, there's your eyes, it's like looking into a cloudy sky."

"How about my personality?" Jojo asked.

"Just as good!" Matilda exclaimed. "You are, like, so awesome. That letter you wrote shows that you, like, really know how to treat a girl, too."

"Now, let's talk about my kissing skills," Jojo continued. "Or perhaps you need to get an idea on that still."

Jojo pulled her into a kiss which she returned eagerly. Calvin watched the two with distaste.

"Hey, there" Keith exclaimed as he dropped down next to Calvin. "What'd I tell you?"

"I know, it's clear that she's stealing him away from me," Calvin seethed. "She would have been leaving last time too, if Pamela hadn't gotten them to flip to her side."

"Pamela is definitely a huge thorn to both of us," Keith said. "She might have to go first."

"Well, we'll have to wait till we lose before we can be sure," Calvin said. "In the meantime, though, I may need a new friend."

"I'd be honoured," Keith said.

"Ha, not likely," Calvin said. "At least, not looking like that."

"Um…what do you mean?" Keith asked.

"Face it, you're pretty freaky," Calvin criticized. "I can be affiliated with you. Here's how you can change, lose the ponytail and keep your hair short like a normal guy, stop spending so much time in the woods and actually sleep in the shelter with us, and stop appearing and disappearing like—"

Keith had already vanished.

"—that," Calvin finished.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**Matilda is really more like a groupie than a girlfriend to me. But hey, I'm not complaining; and if she wants to delude herself into believing I wrote her some note, I won't stop her.

**Calvin-**I'm just trying to help Keith. He could be a pretty cool guy if he wasn't so strange.

**Keith-**I may have to give into some of Calvin's demands to get on his good side, but I'm not going to let him take control of me like he did with Jojo and Elijah.

* * *

Soon the campers were all interrupted by Chris's voice blaring over the island.

"Avast ye landlubbers!" his voice crackled. "Get yet sorry selves to the Dock O'Shame or else ye'll walk thar plank!"

"Um, how could we walk the plank if we're on land?" Keith muttered to Calvin.

"Yarr, just do it!" Chris snapped.

Keith shrugged as he headed down the mountain. Both teams arrived at the dock at the same time.

"Where's Chris?" Pamela grumbled. "Let's just get this stupid challenge over with."

"Look, out there," Garfield exclaimed as he pointed out at the lake.

He was pointing a distant speck on the water, but it quickly grew as it came closer. The campers soon saw that it was a full out pirate ship.

"Ahoy, my harties!" the host exclaimed as he dropped a ladder and climbed down onto the dock.

Chris was now wearing an eye-patch, a fake hook, and a peg leg. He also had a large black pirate hat on his head.

"In case ye couldn't tell by me accent, today's theme be pirates," Chris exclaimed. "And I now I'm going to stop with the pirate voice before my throat starts hemorrhaging."

"Chris why do you keep insisting on doing such lame challenges," Calvin whined.

"Oh, don't be so down," Chelsea exclaimed. "Pirates are pretty cool and all."

"I prefer Ninjas," Keith noted.

"You're both losers," Pamela scoffed. "You too, Calvin."

"Thanks for including me," Calvin retorted back at her sarcastically.

"Alright, enough chitchat, time to get on the boat," Chris said.

The two teams climbed up the ladder and onto the wooden ship.

"Now, to the seas!" Chris exclaimed as the ship took off into the water.

The sudden movement caused a few contestants to lose their footing. Garfield stumbled backwards and knocked over Calvin. Matilda tumbled to the ground, but was saved by Jojo. Misha also fell to the ground, but only to maintain her image.

"So, you may have noticed that there are currently five members on each team," Chris said. "And this works out nicely, because there are going to be five dueling challenges today, one for each member of the respective teams."

"Bring it on," Ilona said.

"That's the spirit," Chris exclaimed. "Anyways, the first challenge will be scrubbing the deck."

"Like I said, could these challenges get any lamer?" Calvin scoffed.

"I wasn't finished yet," Chris said. "You will be scrubbing with colours. If you'll look to these barrels, you'll see a barrel full of red paint, and one full of blue paint. Rivers, you'll be painting the decks blue, and Mountains you get red. When I call time's up, the most prominent colour will win the point. So, who will you each be sending up?"

"I'll go," Chelsea said. "I'll show everyone how it's done."

"And Mountains, who will you be sending?" Chris asked.

"I'll go," Pamela said. "I might as well get it over with. And I want to knock that smile off that cheerleader."

Chris tossed both of them a mop.

"Ladies, on your mark, get set, go!" Chris exclaimed.

Both girls dipped their mops in their colours. Chelsea took to one end and began to sweep smoothly. Pamela took the others end and splattered paint around angrily.

"Hm, Chelsea's strategy is more efficient, but takes more time," Chris noted. "Pamela on the other hand is covering more space, but leaving gaps in between."

Soon Chelsea had painted a nice portion of the floor with blue, while the rest was splattered with red.

"Move it, cheerleader," Pamela sneered as she began slopping red over the blue.

"Hey, that's not fair," Chelsea exclaimed.

"Nope, it's perfectly legal," Chris said.

"Chelsea, you need to play more offensively," Desdemona called. "Um…or at least that's what the spirits are saying."

Chelsea nodded and pushed Pamela aside. She moved quicker now as she began swiping the blue paint back and forth over Pamela's red.

"With Chelsea changing up her plan, she's starting to catch up," Chris narrated. "But that's not to say that Pamela is out of the contest yet. And the clock keeps on ticking."

Pamela, seeing what Chelsea was doing, quickly switched her target and began covering up the new blue spots.

"It's going to be close," Chris said. "And the time is just about up…"

Pamela tossed aside her mop and instead went for the barrels. She kicked over the barrel full of red paint and covered the entire deck.

"Times up!" Chris exclaimed. "Pamela wins by a long shot."

"Oh come on," Chelsea complained. "There has got to be a rule against that."

"Yes, there very well should be," Chris said apathetically. "Next time we do a pirate based challenge, I'll be sure to make a note of it."

Chelsea just grumbled as she walked back to where her team was sitting.

"Don't worry about it," Ilona said. "That was complete foul play."

"Yeah, you did your best," Garfield added.

"Next up, it's the Jolly Roger challenge," Chris said. "You will be in charge of sewing together a flag for this ship. The one that looks the best will win a point."

"Ooh, ooh, I've got this!" Matilda exclaimed. "Sewing is a necessary part to designing, like, the top fashion."

"And Rivers?" Chris asked.

"Well…do any of you know anything about sewing?" Chelsea asked. "How about you, Misha?"

"Uh…um…well, I suppose, a little," Misha mumbled.

"I'll do it," Desdemona said. "I know enough to get by. That might be the best we can hope for."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-***sighs in relief* dodged that bullet.

**Pamela-**I still hate my team, but seeing that bratty cheerleader again reminded me that she needs to be knocked down again.

* * *

Chris had set up two tables now. Each one had a blank, black flag draped over it. Matilda and Desdemona had access to various sewing utensils and materials.

"Okay, girls, once again you have until the time runs up," Chris said. "Whoever makes the best flag wins. Begin!"

Matilda immediately began picking up materials and started tracing a needle between them. Desdemona on the other hand was trying to plan out what she was going to do. She settled on a bag of beads and began weaving them into the fabric. Matilda had grabbed some scissors and was now snipping rapidly at her supplies.

"Matilda is hard at work," Chris commentated. "Desdemona is too, but she's clearly not being as productive."

"A little of this, oh and totally this," Matilda chattered as she cut and pasted.

"Hm, that looks nice," Desdemona declared as she finished her beaded border.

"We're halfway down," Chris announced.

Desdemona cursed to herself. She desperately grabbed a needle and thread. She began sewing something into the center of the flag.

"Ooh, these will look just lovely," Matilda exclaimed as she grabbed some cotton balls.

"Matilda is definitely going all out on this," Chris noted. "Desdemona is lacking."

"I'm working, Chris!" Desdemona snapped.

"And we're just about finished," Chris exclaimed. "Three…two…one…time's up!"

Desdemona sighed, while Matilda smiled proudly.

"Let's see what you've got," Chris said.

Matilda held up a heart shaped flag that was covered with glitter, sparkles, fluffy clouds, and other hearts.

"Isn't it just loverly?!" Matilda exclaimed.

"You do realize this is pirates we're talking about, right?" Chris said. "I can't imagine any pirate could display that with pride."

Matilda pouted in frustration.

"Now, Desdemona, what have you got?" Chris asked.

Desdemona held up a plain flag, framed with beads, and the word, 'Pirates' sewn into the center.

"Hm…very lacking in creativity," Chris noted. "I'm going to have to say that the flag that impressed me the most is…Matilda's!"

"Go me!" Matilda cheered.

"Go us," Jojo added. "That's two points now."

"That's right, Mountains are off to a strong lead," Chris said. "But we've still got three more challenges to get to. Rivers, you'd better pick up your game if you want a chance at this."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I don't think I'm just being paranoid. Matilda and Jojo really seem to have a thing going on. She'd tell me about something like that, right?

* * *

"Alright, this is a classic for all pirates," Chris said. "It's the cannonball challenge."

He pressed a button and a large cannon emerged from the floor. He pushed it again and a target appeared out of the water. It was the same target that had been used in Sasha and Calvin's tiebreaker.

"So we're firing cannonballs?" Keith asked.

"Close," Chris said. "You're going to be cannonballs."

"Well, I'm glad I got my challenge out of the way," Desdemona sighed.

"One member of each time will enter the cannon and be fired into the air," Chris exclaimed. "It'll be this person's task to dive towards the target. The closest person to the center will win a point for their team. So, who wants to do it…preferably someone smaller."

"I can do this," Misha said.

"Are you sure?" Chelsea asked. "You don't—"

"Yes, I'm sure," Misha growled.

"I'll go for my team," Keith volunteered. "I'm the smallest one here."

"Okay, Keith why don't you start this off for us?" Chris said. "Just climb on in here."

Keith gave a quick smile to his team before climbing into the barrel.

"Ready…set…Fire!" Chris exclaimed.

In a blast Keith was shot into the sky.

"Whoa!" Keith exclaimed as he soared through the air.

He soon came over the target. He began swinging his arms as if he was swimming through water. This didn't work out as well as he had hoped and he ended up flopping down on the edge of the target.

"Oh, that had to hurt," Calvin cringed.

Pamela opened her mouth, but Calvin covered it.

"Don't even start," he said.

"Misha, you're up," Chris said.

"Don't worry about a thing, Misha," Chelsea said. "No one will blame you if we lose."

"Ignore her, Misha," Desdemona said. "We need to win."

Misha hopped into the cannon.

"Alright, fire!" Chris exclaimed.

Misha was launched into the air. She remained in a swam position as she rocketed towards the target. Skillfully she pulled her hands back and directed herself to the center. She landed skillfully right on the bullseye.

"Whoa," Chelsea muttered.

"You shouldn't be so surprised," Ilona said with a smile. "Misha has already shown just how skilled she can be."

"I guess…but still, whoa," Chelsea said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**I'm willing to draw a little attention to myself if it'll help to win the challenge. Not that it'll do any good against Chelsea, she's got it stuck in her hand that I'm a pathetic little wimp and nothing will change that.

**Pamela-**Seeing Keith get the karma he deserved was quite satisfying. Stupid Calvin had to spoil the moment, though.

* * *

"Raging Rivers have proved that they're not out yet," Chris said. "But they're still in the rear right now. Up next, it's the music challenge."

"And just when I thought this challenge couldn't get any lamer," Calvin sulked. "Seriously, Chris, what the hell does music have to do with pirates?"

"Haven't you heard of pirate sea shanties?" Chris said. "For this challenge, one member from each team will pick one of these instruments, and one of these songs to play. You'll get points on how well you play, in comparison to how difficult a song instrument combo you picked."

Chris gestured to the side where a variety of instruments were piled against a piano. There was also a pile of sheet music on the side.

"Let's see, what do we have here?" Garfield muttered as he searched through the pile.

He held up pipes, stringed pieces, and various percussion parts, until picking up an accordion.

"I think I could work with this," he said before sorting through the songs.

"And Monster Mountains, who'll you be sending?" Chris asked.

"No way is it going to be me," Calvin exclaimed.

"Well, you can't expect me to do it," Jojo pointed out. "I haven't held an instrument once in my life."

"So, Calvin, what's it going to be?" Chris asked.

"I guess I can play the piano," Calvin sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Garfield-**Music always was a big part of my upbringing. Accordion is just one of the many instruments that I'm fluent in.

**Calvin-**My Gran gave me a few piano lessons back when I was younger. I haven't played in years, obviously, but it's probably just like riding a bike.

* * *

"Calvin, since you're so reluctant, you can go first," Chris said.

Calvin grabbed the easiest song he could find and sat down at the piano.

"Uh…let's see, that's A flat," he muttered. "Oh wait, that key signature means something, doesn't it? And what is this hat thing supposed to me?"

"Any time now, Calvin," Chris prodded.

"Okay, okay," Calvin said.

He very slowly played his way through the first couple of notes. He sang off key and shakily, pausing before each note. He hit a wrong note and everyone cringed.

"Wait, wait, I can do this," Calvin said.

He tried again. He very gradually worked his way through the song, stopping several times, and hitting many sour notes. Eventually he came to a close on the song.

"Thank God," Chris exclaimed as he took some earplugs out of his ears. "Garfield, you're next."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I tried to warn them. That's what they get for making me sing.

**Desdemona-**That has got to be the most painful five minutes of my life.

**Jojo-**Maybe I should have offered to play. I doubt even I could have done that bad.

* * *

Garfield had chosen a fast-paced song to play. He picked up the accordion and began to play skilfully. He hit all the notes moving at a rapid speed. He then started to sing with a golden voice. Everyone listening had no choice but to sway along in unison with the notes. Garfield added his own twist to the song by dancing along as he played and sung. Soon he had come to a finish and took a bow.

"Encore, encore!" Chelsea cheered.

"Yes, Garfield, that was very nice," Chris said. "And a clear win for the Rivers. Which means you're back to deadlock."

"So, you see guys, any of you would have lost against that," Calvin defended himself.

"That doesn't change the fact that you suck," Pamela snarked.

"It is time for the final challenge," Chris announced. "Now we shall be bringing in the true action. I, of course, am referring to a swashbuckling sword fight."

"Awesome," Jojo exclaimed.

"The rules of this fight are pretty simple," Chris explained. "Two of you will duel with swords. The goal is to knock the other person off of the plank and into the water. Anything goes, and the winner will win immunity for their team."

Chris then tossed a cutlass to the two remaining contestants, Ilona and Jojo.

"Um, these aren't real swords, are they?" Ilona asked as she twirled hers around carefully.

"Don't worry, the blade has been dulled," Chris said. "You can't cause any serious damage with them."

"I'll see about that," Jojo said as he swung his sword aggressively into the air.

"The rest of us will clear to the sides so you will have the whole deck to fight," Chris said. "You may begin."

Jojo immediately charged at Ilona. He swung his sword, but she had already dodged. Ilona seemed reluctant to swing at him, and this gave Jojo the change to attack again. Once more, Ilona just moved to the side to avoid.

"Take him down, Ilona," Chelsea cheered.

Ilona continued to play evasively without actually attacking. Jojo thrashed at her repeatedly with no success. He eventually he got fed up and changed his approach. He kicked a volley of barrels and crates towards Ilona. She knocked to the ground and closer to the plank. Jojo approached her, but she quickly recovered and rolled to the side.

"Don't be afraid to play aggressive," Chelsea continued to cheer.

"Fine, if that's the way it has to be," Ilona sighed as she swung at Jojo.

Jojo blocked, but Ilona changed her target and delivered a blow to his side. Jojo flinched in pain. He growled and charged at Ilona again. As usual, she had no trouble dodging. She delivered another blow, and he was too slow to block. This time he dropped to the ground in pain. Ilona paused in surprise.

"Gotcha!" Jojo exclaimed as he swung his sword upwards and knocked her sword out of her hands.

Ilona reached for it, but Jojo blocked her with another swing of his cutlass.

"Off the plank," he exclaimed as he forced her towards the edge of the boat.

Ilona acted fast. She grabbed onto a rope and pulled herself behind Jojo. She gave him a quick to the back which sent him towards the plank. While he was busy recovering, she grabbed her sword. Jojo went with his usual strategy of charging wildly. This time Ilona used a rope to pull her up towards the mast.

"Hey, get down from there," Jojo ordered.

"Come and get me," Ilona challenged.

Jojo pulled himself up onto the beam and carefully gained his balance. He began swinging his sword rapidly at Ilona. She blocked each blow. She then delivered a swift blow to his chest. It was enough to knock him back down the floor. While he was stunned she swung along the rope and kicked him up against the plank.

"Time for you to take a swim," she said as she prodded him closer to the edge.

"Forget this," Jojo scoffed as he tossed aside his sword.

He then simply reached out and grabbed Ilona.

"Hey, put me down!" Ilona snapped.

"Chris did say that anything goes," Jojo pointed out. "But I'll put you down if you really want."

He hung over the edge and let her go.

"And that's that," he concluded.

He spoke too soon however. Ilona had grabbed onto the edge of the plank and was dangling just above the water. She swung herself back up and kicked out Jojo's feet. He stumbled backwards and right into the water.

"We have our winner!" Chris exclaimed. "Ilona, congratulations, you just won immunity for your team. Monster Mountains, I will be seeing you once again for elimination."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I swear, Chris is just picking challenges that are sure to benefit the other team. If this had been a non-lame challenge, then we totally would have owned it.

**Jojo-**Swords are stupid!

**Ilona-**While I try to stick by my code, I don't feel completely awful, considering it was Jojo.

* * *

(Monster Mountains Camp)

Once the team had returned to camp, they had split up. Jojo went with Matilda, Keith pulled Calvin aside, and Pamela was left to herself.

"Alright, I think that Pamela needs to go," Keith told Calvin.

"You said Matilda last time," Calvin pointed out. "What about her?"

"We'll get her soon enough," Keith assured. "But right now you'd agree that Pamela is the biggest threat, right?"

"I suppose," Calvin agreed.

"Alright, everyone, team meeting time!" Keith called.

Matilda and Jojo joined up with them again.

"I don't think it needs to be said, but we're voting out Pamela tonight," Keith said.

"Finally!" Matilda cheered.

"This'll be good," Jojo added.

"What's this? Having a team meeting without me?" Pamela exclaimed as she approached them. "Why aren't I surprised?"

"Enough, Pamela, it's time for you to leave," Keith declared.

"And there's nothing you can do about it," Calvin added.

"Well, if you vote me out, it'll just prove that I was right, you are all idiots," Pamela scoffed.

"Pamela, we're in no mood for your lies," Keith said.

"Lies? I'll tell you this, I've meant everything I've said," Pamela declared. "And for the rest of you, how can you not see that Keith has been playing all of you?"

"Oh this is just desperate," Calvin scoffed.

"Did you know that he told the other alliance everything he heard from you?" Pamela said. "To them, he says that he's only on your side to gain information."

"Well, since we're all here, I think it's pretty clear that he's with us," Calvin pointed out.

"Really? Well, just last night he was saying how he had his plan to get you out," Pamela said. "He was all, 'I tricked Calvin into voting for Matilda, so now he should be easy to pick out.' If I hadn't interfered, you'd be gone."

Matilda gasped, but didn't say anything.

"Pamela, this is just sad," Keith said. "I have tried to be nothing but a good friend to everyone on this team. In the end, my loyalties have always been to this alliance. But look at you, you've done nothing but make yourself into an enemy to all of us."

"Because I have nothing to hide," Pamela countered. "Unlike you. I am telling all of you, if you want to survive you will vote Keith out."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I really should have gotten rid of Pamela earlier. But no one will believe her anyways.

**Matilda-**I do remember getting a vote last night. I assume it was, like, Pamela, but with if she's, like, telling the truth. Oh, I don't know what to believe.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

"Mountains," Chris greeted. "You started off strong today, but in the end you blew it."

"We know, we were there," Calvin scoffed.

"There seems to be a trend of voting out guys going on lately," Chris noted. "Riley, Timothy, Elijah, and Stanley, though he hardly counts as a guy, all went out one after another. Men, you should be nervous."

"Don't worry, Chris, I promise you that we'll be seeing a girl leave today," Keith guaranteed.

"So you're a girl now?" Pamela countered. "The ponytail should have been the first hint, I suppose."

"Alright, let's get this started," Chris said. "The first pinecone goes to Jojo!"

Jojo caught the pinecone.

"Matilda."

"Calvin."

This left Keith and Pamela. The two stared at each other with stony eyes. Neither one was blinking.

"The final pinecone of the night goes to," Chris concluded, "…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Keith!"

"I knew it," Pamela scoffed. "You're all nothing but a bunch of soft brained morons being played like puppets."

"Pamela, the spring awaits," Chris said.

"I'm not done yet," Pamela continued to rant as she marched down the dock. "Do any of you honestly believe that you'd be here if Keith didn't want you to be? I was the one person who was smart enough to stand up to him, and now he has the game completely in his hands. I hope you're happy, you've just handed him the prize money. If somehow you get the chance you should all vote him—Waah!"

"Blah, blah, blah," Chris remarked as he launched her off. "That's the end of her."

* * *

**Votes:  
**

**Keith-**Pamela, you are the biggest threat right now.

**Jojo-**I've wanted Pamela gone for a while now. I'm glad we're finally going through with it.

**Pamela-**Who do you think? Keith.

**Calvin-**I'm sorry, Pamela, but between you and Keith, I definitely trust Keith more.

**Matilda-**You know what, Pamela has been nothing but, like, a super pain. I'm voting her the heck out of here.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"So, for the first time since the Monster Mountains first went to elimination, Calvin got out without a single vote," Chris noted. "Is Pamela right about Keith? Will anyone be able to stop him now? Can Misha make it the merge without snapping? Will this lovey-dovey mess work itself out? More is coming up so don't miss the next Total...Drama...Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"The temple is just up here, Sir Stanley," Sasha said as she guided yet another person through the jungle.

"Isn't a little late for this?" Stanley asked as he looked up at the evening sky.

"True, but tis always a good idea to know your adversary before facing them," Sasha said as she presented him to the temple.

Also standing outside the ancient ruin was Rusty. The boy was leaning against a stone wall and whistling innocently.

"Sir Rusty, what are you doing here?" Sasha asked.

"Oh…you know…just hanging out," he said.

A small raccoon burrowed itself out of the ground behind him.

"I have to go now," Rusty said as he grabbed the raccoon and departed.

Aurelius was covered in dirt and bruises now.

"Alright, where is it?" Rusty asked.

Aurelius chittered something in frustration.

"You couldn't find it?!" Rusty said in annoyance. "What am I paying you for?"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**Okay, so a bit of Esme's translating skills have rubbed off on me. Fat lot of good it's doing so far though.

* * *

Back at the beach, Pamela landed in the sand with a splat.

"Who is it now?" Riley asked.

"No one pleasant," Shannon replied.

"So, this is where they send all the losers?" Pamela said as she looked around.

"Read the sign," Shannon grunted.

Pamela had barely glanced at the sign when someone arrived from the jungle. Elijah collapsed completely exhausted just on the sand. His clothes were ripped and he was covered with scrapes and bruises. He had webbing stuck all over him.

"What happened to him?" Shannon asked.

Jason was about to make a comment about being blind and not being able to tell, but he could feel the seriousness of the situation.

"He has been through much suffering," Esme declared as she examined him.

"It's Briony," Elijah wheezed. "She's gone completely loco. And she's holding Timothy hostage."

"What?" Pamela said abruptly.

"She's got Timothy all tied up and ready to feed to spiders," Elijah explained weakly.

"That bitch!" Pamela growled. "She is going to pay for this."

Pamela grabbed a stick and picked up Elijah.

"Take me to her," she ordered.

"I don't know if I want to go back," Elijah mumbled feebly.

"Now!" Pamela shouted.

"Yes, ma'am," Elijah obeyed.

He then began his trip back to the horrid pit where he had been trapped for days.

"You do realize that she has an army of massive, man-eating spiders, right?" Elijah asked.

Pamela just grunted as she kept on walking. Eventually they arrived at the web infested pit.

"I'm not going any farther," Elijah declared.

Pamela climbed down the web with her stick firmly grasped in her hand. A spider scurried over to her viciously. She took one stab at its head and killed it instantly. She didn't run into any more spiders until she hit the bottom. There she was surrounded by the monsters.

"Out of my way!" she commanded as she swung her stick.

Several spiders lunged at her from different directions, but she knocked them all aside with her stick. There were still several surrounding her, but they waited.

"Well, well, the cavalry arrives," Briony exclaimed as she stepped forward.

"Where is Timothy!?" Pamela ordered.

"Look up," Briony said.

Pamela said a large webbed sac squirming. It was hanging off the edge of the web.

"Once they're done with you, I'll let them have him for dessert," Briony said.

"You let him go now!" Pamela ordered.

"You are powerless to stop me," Briony retorted.

"We'll see about that," Pamela said as she charged at the nearest spider.

Like before she pierced its head and killed it instantly. She was quickly stormed by several more, but she moved quickly. She didn't bother killing all of them, just dodged them. She worked at getting closer and closer to Briony. Soon she had reached the girl.

"Get away from me!" Briony exclaimed angrily.

Pamela punched Briony into the wall. She then pushed her stick against her back.

"Call them off or things will get painful for you," Pamela threatened.

"This isn't right," Briony sobbed.

"I said call them off now!" Pamela ordered as she dug the stick into her back.

"Stop!" Briony cried.

The word stopped both Pamela and the spiders.

"Now, release my friend," Pamela ordered.

Briony waved a hand in a gestured. Suddenly, Timothy was lowered to the ground. He was able to break free and started to breathe in relief. Pamela quickly rushed to him.

"Let's get out of here," she said.

"Not so fast!" Briony exclaimed as she regained herself. "Stop them, destroy them, don't let them escape!"

More spiders started to swarm. Pamela did her best to hold them off, but they were too many. Her only option was to turn into the tunnels. The same tunnels that Timothy and Elijah had previously tried to escape through.

"You saved me," Timothy breathed.

"Consider it payback for failing to save you before," Pamela grunted as she climbed deeper into the darkness.

_Author's Note: And another one is gone. Pamela was another really pleasant surprise for me. She was constantly negative to everyone, yet somehow kept getting lucky and survived elimination. Despite her negative side, she really wasn't evil, just very, very bitter. She proved that she could actually be a threat when she tried and was the only one to catch onto Keith, and that's what got her eliminated in the end._


	17. Justice League is Served

_Author's Note: So, I finally saw Avengers a couple of weeks ago. This chapter may or may not be connected to that._

"Welcome back to Total Drama Stranded," Chris exclaimed. "Last time we took to the seven seas with a pirate themed challenge. Chelsea continued to fret about the possibility of Matilda stealing Jojo; unknown to her, Keith had already arranged for the two to get together. In the end, Ilona managed to win the challenge for her team after an intense battle with Jojo. Keith convinced his team that Pamela had to go, while Pamela argued that Keith was the real threat. But, come elimination time, it was Pamela who left in a unanimous vote off. The merge will be coming up soon, and so will our four returnees. But first we've got another challenge to get to and it's going to be…super. So keep watching Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"Come on you, mangy little vermin," Rusty grumbled as he paced outside of the temple.

He had gotten up early to once again force Aurelius into the temple. After waiting a little while more, the raccoon finally resurfaced.

"About time," Rusty scoffed. "Now hand it over."

Aurelius past him a small golden key with a ruby studded in the center.

"What is this?!" Rusty snapped. "I told you to get the idol. This is not the idol."

Aurelius began chattering angrily as he stormed off in the opposite direction.

"Wait, don't go!" Rusty called. "How am I supposed to do anything? I can't go in there on my own."

Deeper in the forest, Elijah was huddled against a tree in terror. He hadn't gotten any sleep at all last night. He had been waiting for Pamela to return with Timothy, yet she never had.

"They got her," he mumbled to himself nervously.

Several times he considered trying to be a hero and go after her, but he kept backing up when he saw the webs. With every sound he heard he flinched in terror. He kept expecting spiders to jump up at him at any second.

Currently, the spiders were scouring the underground tunnels in search of Pamela and Timothy.

"They have to be here somewhere," Briony exclaimed. "It's been hours, why haven't we found them?"

In fact, several spiders had found the duo…only to be killed by Pamela as soon she came into their sights.

"There's a crack in the ground up ahead," Timothy told Pamela. "But she'd be expecting us to go there."

"Then we'll meet her expectations," Pamela said. "She doesn't scare me, and I look forward to another round with her."

* * *

(Raging Rivers Camp)

As usual, the team was going through with their morning routine. Misha and Garfield had just set up the fish for breakfast and the others soon came to meet them.

"Not to complain or anything, but I am so sick of fish right now," Chelsea remarked. "When I get home, I will never any seafood again."

"Stay strong, Chelsea," Garfield said. "Maybe Chris will have a feast for us at the merge."

"Not likely," Misha scoffed.

"Well, I'll make it, as long as we all stick together," Chelsea said.

All the time, Desdemona was eying everyone curiously. When the group had finished eating, she grabbed Chelsea and pulled her aside.

"I think we need to talk," she said.

"What is it?" Chelsea asked with concern.

"Well, I've been having a vision time and time again," Desdemona said. "I may have mentioned it before, but now it has become clear to me, and I believe that it is urgent."

"And?" Chelsea prompted.

"I have seen that if Garfield makes it to the merge," Desdemona said in an over the top ominous voice, "he will win the game."

"That's wonderful!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"Eh?" Desdemona exclaimed, thrown off.

"Garfield totally deserves to win," Chelsea exclaimed. "And you say all he has to do is get to the merge? Well that should be easy."

"No, don't you see?" Desdemona insisted. "If Garfield wins, that means you don't win."

"Well, there's always second place," Chelsea exclaimed. "And there's no shame in second place to someone as great as him."

"Fine…fine," Desdemona gave up.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Desdemona seems to trust me, but she seems so intent on screwing over my friends and me. Garfield is an amazing person and if anyone deserves to win it's him.

**Desdemona-**So, she's delusional. Well, now I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. The merge is coming up and no one will dare to vote for Garfield. So if we immunity, I can't get rid of him now, but if we don't win immunity, I may be next.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

The four remaining members had all gathered together to eat their meagre breakfast of fruits and mushrooms.

"Oh, I totally miss the fish from my old team," Matilda lamented.

"I miss food in general," Jojo added. "I feel like I've been running on empty since day one here."

"Chris has got to have something in store for us," Calvin said. "He wouldn't let us just starve to death out here."

"Look on the bright side, guy," Keith said. "The merge has got to be coming up. If we all stick together we should be able to stay a strong alliance."

"Yeah, like how we destroyed all the losers on this team," Jojo exclaimed. "Now the cool kids rule."

Calvin just remained in deep thought.

"Well, I hope Chelsea isn't, like, too mad at me," Matilda said. "She did mention how she might have had, like, a crush on you."

"Don't worry, babe, every girl has some crush on me," Jojo replied.

"Oh…so that makes it okay, right?" Matilda asked.

"Of course it does, Matilda," Keith said. "If Chelsea gets upset with you, then she's clearly not a very good friend."

"Chelsea is the, like, the best friend," Matilda assured. "She'll understand, I know it."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Ah, Matilda, you poor fool. Those girls will no doubt destroy each other, and leave me right where I want to be.

**Calvin-**I don't think we're done purging the scum from this team. Matilda is such an irritating little wannabe; I wouldn't mind seeing her go. And Keith had better not think that he's in the clear. He's a just a weirdo, and if what Pamela said is true then I may have to dispose of him as well.

* * *

"Special delivery for the campers!" Chris's voice exclaimed.

Immediately afterwards, he soared by on a helicopter, dropping various packages.

"Lookie, this one has my name on it!" Matilda exclaimed.

"There's one for all of us," Keith noted.

Following the packages was one of Chris's usual TVs crashing into the ground.

"Greetings, campers," Chris exclaimed as he appeared on the screen. "Today's challenge is all about the greatest people known to man. I am of course referring to Superheroes!"

"Oh, are we going to have a comic reading challenge now?" Calvin scoffed.

"Do you have to complain about every challenge?" Keith asked.

"Each team has a designation," Chris said. "Rivers, you'll be heroes, and Mountains, you'll be villains."

"Oh that's just ridiculous," Calvin scoffed. "Pamela isn't even on our team anymore."

"Within the teams, each of you have been designated a hero or villain," Chris continued. "In the crate will be your suit, along with a power associated with that character. Let's start with Chelsea."

Over in the Raging Rivers camp, Chelsea opened up her box. She found a costume, along with some silver cuffs, and a rope.

"Chelsea, you will be Wonder Woman," Chris said. "Your power is your magic rope. You can toss it at anyone, and it will automatically rope around them. Give it a shot."

Chelsea twirled around her rope and tossed it clumsily at Ilona's feet. Suddenly it latched onto her ankle and tightened to her.

"Whoa!" Ilona exclaimed as she fell to the ground.

"Next up, let's go with Matilda," Chris said.

Matilda eagerly opened her crate.

"Ooh, I love it," she exclaimed. "It's fantabulous!"

She held up a leaf patterned green dress.

"Matilda, you'll be Poison Ivy," Chris said. "The dress has canisters of a pheromone in the arms. You can use it to send any guy into a daze…although, since the other team is majorly girls, it's really kinda useless."

Matilda pouted in frustration.

"Next up, Garfield, why don't you open up your crate?" Chris suggested.

Garfield found a red and blue costume in his box.

"You'll be Spider-Man," Chris said. "Complete with web-shooters."

"Cool," Garfield exclaimed as he tested out his power.

"Jojo, you'll be playing Spider-man's old enemy," Chris continued, "The Rhino."

Jojo held up a bulky grey costume.

"This is designed to feel weightless on you, but makes you rock hard to everyone else," Chris explained.

"I like it," Jojo said.

"Now, how about Ilona?" Chris suggested.

Ilona found her costume, along with a pair of large wings that could strap onto her back.

"You will be Hawk Girl," Chris said. "And those wings actually do work."

Ilona tried leaping into the air, and suddenly was carried up into the sky.

"Whoa, how do you control this thing?" she asked.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Chris said. "And let's go to Keith."

Keith opened his crate to find a costume, along with a belt covered in disc-like objects.

"You're gonna be Captain Boomerang," Chris said. "You've got plenty of boomerangs to make a mess in there."

"What do I get?" Misha demanded getting impatient.

"I was just getting to you," Chris said. "You're going to be Thor."

Misha picked up a Viking styled helmet and a massive hammer.

"That hammer is charged with electricity so it can shock anyone you hit with it," Chris said. "If you can even lift it."

"Oh, uh…goodness me," Misha said.

"Next up, it's Calvin," Chris said. "You get to be the Frightful Four member, The Trapster."

"As usual, sounds lame," Calvin said as he opened his crate.

He pulled out what looked like a vacuum shaped gun.

"That can fire really…um, trap goo," Chris said.

"Slightly less lame," Calvin remarked as he tried it out on Keith.

Orange goop covered Keith and held him to the ground.

"Hey, let me up," Keith exclaimed.

Jojo had to use all of his strength to tear the goo off of Keith.

"And last, and quite possibly least, Desdemona," Chris said. "You will be Green Arrow."

Desdemona opened her crate to find a Robin Hood style outfit, and a bow with a quiver of arrows.

"A bow? That's all I get?" she exclaimed.

"Not so fast," Chris said. "Each of those arrows does something unique. What each one does, however, is up to you to find out."

"What's this crate for?" Misha asked as she pointed to an unmarked crate.

"Go ahead and open the final crate," Chris said.

The Rivers' crate contained a sack with a dollar sign on it. The Mountains' contained a mannequin.

"This will be your typical attack and defend format," Chris explained. "Heroes, you're going to want to rescue your damsel in distress. Villains on the other hand will be targeting this sack of loot. The first team to get their object back to their camp safely will win immunity."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**(in Rhino suit) I think it's clear that I got the best power. Check this out (he punches a rock which shatters.)

**Matilda-**(in Poison Ivy suit) Well, my power might not be, like, too useful, but I still love this uber fashionable outfit.

**Ilona-**(in Hawk Girl suit) I get the feeling that this would be really useful…I could figure out how to use it properly.

**Desdemona-**(in Green Arrow suit) Way to give me the worst power, Chris.

**Misha-**(in Thor suit) I think I'm going to have fun with this (swings her hammer.)

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

"Okay, what's the plan?" Garfield asked.

"I think with these wings I should be able to get in and get out quickly," Ilona said.

She then soared backwards and a high speed and crashed through various trees.

"That is, if I can get this to work," she added.

"Remember, guys, we have the numbers advantage," Chelsea pointed out. "I say that a group of us, say me, Misha, and Garfield, should rush them. That should keep them busy and give Ilona a chance to swing in and grab the target. Desdemona, you can stay behind to make sure no one gets our sack.

"Okay…I can do that," Desdemona said uncertainly.

"Ilona, how are you doing?" Garfield asked.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this," Ilona said before plummeting straight into the ground. "Or not."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**And things just got worse. If we lose, then it'll be all my fault.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"Okay, we'll need a strategy" Calvin said.

"How about this?" Jojo suggested. "I go over there and take it from them. It's not like anyone's going to be able to stop me."

To demonstrate his point he kicked a nearby tree and snapped it right off of its stump.

"I'll go too," Keith offered. "I can sneak by while you keep the others busy. Calvin and Matilda, you two can stay back and guard the doll. No offense, Matilda, but like Chris said, your power isn't going to be much use here."

"I understand," Matilda replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I don't know how much I trust Jojo. He acts all macho, but he hasn't always pulled through for us. What I do know, is that I'd rather not lose this challenge.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Chelsea, Garfield, and Misha all walked together through the forest.

"Alright, remember, everyone, our first goal is to keep them distracted," Chelsea said. "We can leave the rest to Ilona."

"That is, if she ever figures out how to work those wings," Misha pointed out.

"I think she's getting the hang of it," Garfield assured.

"Whoa!" Ilona cried as she dived right between them. "Don't mind me."

Misha looked at Garfield skeptically.

"You see, that was a huge improvement," Garfield said.

After walking a little farther, Chelsea stopped them.

"I think I hear someone coming," she said.

All three of them paused in silence. The Jojo charged out of the trees and tackled Chelsea to the ground.

"Here's The Rhino!" he announced.

"Quick, stop him!" Misha ordered.

Garfield pointed his wrists at Jojo and began firing a sticky substance. It didn't seem to be slowing him down.

"Ha, nice try," Jojo laughed as he walked leisurely towards Garfield.

Chelsea, meanwhile, had gotten back up. She grabbed her rope and tossed it at Jojo. It wrapped itself around his body.

"Aha, now I got you," she exclaimed.

She began tugging on the rope, but he stayed in place. Then he grabbed the rope and began pulling her towards him.

"I think you're a little mixed up," Jojo mocked. "'Cause it looks like I got you."

Once Chelsea was close enough he grabbed her and tossed her into Garfield. Both of them slid across the ground.

"Well, we've got a surprise for you," Garfield said. "Get him, Misha!"

However, Misha was already running towards the Mountain camp.

"You sure surprised me," Jojo said. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got a challenge to win."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Did you see that? Did you _see_ that? He just tossed me aside with no concern for my wellbeing. This is just further proof that Matilda has stolen his heart from me.

**Misha-**As if I was going to stick around. There's only one person I trust to win this challenge: me.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

"You know what would totally, like, you know, make this dress, like, so much better?" Matilda said. "Those little, like, pompom things…you know?"

"Can you please stay focused?" Calvin asked. "We've got to be ready for anything."

"Oh totally, yeah totally," Matilda promised. "I have, like, really good focusing skills. This one time I was, like, staring at a pair of shoes that, like, I so, so wanted. I was, like, so focused on them, that, like, I didn't even realize that my boyfriend was trying to break up with me. He's like totally my ex-boyfriend now. I turned to him and was like, 'Trace, you cannot break my focus like that. If you don't understand that, we are through.' He didn't seem to mind though."

"Maybe because he was trying to break up with you," Calvin pointed out.

"Hm, I never looked at it that way," Matilda remarked.

"Look, why don't you go patrol at the bottom of the mountain?" Calvin suggested. "And I'll take the top."

"Okie-dokie!" Matilda exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**If we lose, I'm not sure who I want to vote off, but I'm leaning towards Matilda. She needs to learn how to shut up.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Desdemona was sitting on a rock and spinning an arrow in boredom.

"Let's see what makes these arrows so special," she muttered to herself.

She picked up her bow and fired an arrow at a tree. As soon as the arrow made contact it exploded and knocked the tree over.

"Well, that's impressive," Desdemona noted.

She stood up and began to pace around the sack that she was protecting. Eventually she heard someone approaching. She raised her bow and pointed it at the sound.

"Hello, Desdemona," Keith said as he arrived.

"Ah, my old nemesis," Desdemona remarked.

"Actually I'm pretty sure that Captain Boomerang is The Flash's arch-nemesis," Keith pointed out. "Or did you mean in real life?"

"Whatever, the point is you're not getting near this sack," Desdemona said.

"Oh, I think I am," Keith countered.

"Then take this!" Desdemona exclaimed as she fired an arrow.

She missed Keith, but hit a tree behind him. The arrow crackled with electricity which looked like it might have hurt, had she actually hit a person.

"Hm, might need to work on that," Keith said. "Why don't you watch and learn?"

Keith grabbed several boomerang discs off of his belt. He tossed them all at Desdemona, who dodged from side to side.

"Doesn't seem like you're doing any better," Desdemona pointed out.

However, Keith had already run past her and grabbed the sack.

"Oh no you don't," Desdemona exclaimed as she notched around arrow.

She fired at the fleeing Keith. This arrow, however, exploded into smoke.

"I…can't see," Desdemona said between coughing.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Those arrows really could use some labels. That explosive one might have actually been useful if I still had it when Keith showed up.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Misha had arrived at the base of the mountain.

"As usual, I'm the one carrying my team," she noted to herself before she started to climb.

"Ah!" someone exclaimed from behind her. "Hold it right there!"

Misha turned around to see Matilda rushing over to her. Misha sighed before dropping back down to the ground.

"I, like, can't let you go anything farther," Matilda said. "But…I'd rather not, like, you know, hurt you, so can we do this easily?"

"Sure thing," Misha replied.

"Yay!" Matilda cheered.

Misha then gripped her hammer and tapped it against Matilda's head. A jolt went through the girl and she fell to the ground twitching.

"That was easy," Misha said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**I am really liking this challenge. And so what if I broke my nice girl act? The merge is practically here and I don't care what some bimbo on the other team things of me now.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Jojo had left Garfield and Chelsea behind. He was now headed straight for the river.

"Nothing's gonna stop me now," he remarked.

"We'll see about that!" Chelsea exclaimed as she followed behind him.

She tossed her rope at his feet this time. As it tightened he stumbled to the ground.

"Get him, Garfield!" Chelsea exclaimed.

Garfield began covering Jojo in as much webbing as he could. Pretty soon, Jojo was completely stuck to the ground.

"Try to move now," Garfield exclaimed.

"Okay," Jojo said as he tore through the webbing and stood up.

Chelsea and Garfield just stared at him in disbelief.

"Now, while I wouldn't mind beating you up again, I think it would be a pretty pathetic waste of time," Jojo said. "So, why don't you just leave me alone for now?"

"I think we're going to need to rethink our strategy," Garfield remarked to Chelsea as Jojo left them.

"Agreed," Chelsea said. "It's clear that we're wasting our time here. I say, we target their base and do all we can to get the doll back here before he gets back. Let's just hope that Desdemona can keep him busy."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Garfield-**You know, I'm starting to think that Chris gave an unfair advantage to Jojo.

**Chelsea-**I kinda had an alternative motive to my new strategy. I'd rather not have to fight Jojo again. As much as I fear, I still want to hope that I have a chance with him.

* * *

Ilona currently was still having difficulty flying.

"There it is, there's the mountain," she said out loud. "Go in that direction."

She found herself being pulled backwards though.

"Fine, is that how it works, then?" she muttered. "Keep going backwards."

She pleased when she stopped moving, but she didn't end up in the direction she wanted. Instead she began spinning around in a circle.

"Come on, come on!" she grumbled. "Down, dive, go, whatever!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**Something tells me that real wings aren't meant to be this complicated.

* * *

Misha by now had scaled the mountain. Carefully she tiptoed over to the clearing. She kept glancing around, but saw no one. She spotted the mannequin in the center of the clearing. Gradually she made her way to it.

"This is too easy," she said. "There's got to be something wrong here."

"That's right!" Calvin exclaimed as he jumped out of hiding. "It's a trap!"

As soon as he had spoken he pulled out his trapster gun and began firing at Misha. The girl had no change at dodging. In no time she was covered in orange goop in a large, sticky ball.

"Well, see ya," he said as he kicked her over the edge.

Instead of plummeting downwards, the goo stuck to the side of the mountain and inched its way down. However, this was of little comfort to Misha who couldn't even move her arms.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Okay, so maybe I got a little too in character.

**Misha-**Was that a Star Wars reference from the guy who wouldn't stop complaining about how lame it was? Talk about a hypocrite.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Desdemona was still fumbling her way through the smoke. Keith was also having some difficulty, but he moved much more skillfully. He kept to the ground and looked for trees to follow.

"I'll get you, you little twerp!" Desdemona threatened as she began firing arrows in all directions.

She saw trees get frozen, wrapped in ropes, or put to sleep…or at least she assumed that's what the last one did. However, none of them hit Keith. The two of them were getting deeper into the forest now and the smoke was beginning to clear. After focusing her eyes, she eventually spotted a silhouette running ahead of her. She picked up her arrow and took aim.

"Okay, can't screw this up," she told herself.

She picked the arrow that she thought was the luckiest. She pulled back and fired. The arrowed zoomed right at Keith and launched a net over him.

"Aha, I got you!" Desdemona cheered as she ran over to his side.

Keith was trapped and the sack was right in her reach.

"That's what happens when you mess with the Green Arrow!" Desdemona boasted.

Her victory didn't last long, though. Soon Jojo arrived at the scene.

"Sweet, I'll take this," he exclaimed as he picked up the sack.

"Hey, not so fast," Desdemona exclaimed as she fired an arrow at him.

The arrow bounced right off of his armor.

"Nice try," Jojo said. "But I really should be going."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**So, I got caught by Desdemona. It was still a victory in the end, and that's all that matters. Now I just have to hope that Jojo makes it back to the mountain before the others, but he doesn't seem to be having any trouble so far.

* * *

(Monster Mountains)

Calvin kept his gun held ready for any other intruders. He was starting to relax again when he heard to sound of others approaching. It was coming from a different side of the cliff then where he had trapped Misha. He rushed over to the side and pointed his gun downward. However, before he could fire, a rope shot up and snatched the gun right out of his grasp.

"What the?" he exclaimed.

He then got his face covered in webbing. Chelsea and Garfield climbed up and pushed Calvin aside.

"There it is," Garfield exclaimed as he pointed at the mannequin.

"No!" Calvin exclaimed as he ripped the webbing off his face. "Take this."

He began firing his goop at them. Both of them rolled to the side, but the ground was soon getting covered in trappy goo. Garfield retaliated by firing more webbing at Calvin. Chelsea dived for the mannequin, but was stopped by a glob of orange. She was pulled into the goo and couldn't get out.

"Incoming!" Ilona exclaimed as she swooped into the area.

She managed to pass right above the mannequin. She reached out and grabbed onto it.

"I think I'm finally starting to get this thing," she said as she took to the sky.

"You're not going anywhere," Calvin said as he pointed his gun upwards.

It began to spout a geyser of orange. Some of it splattered over Ilona's wings.

"Ilona, are you okay?" Garfield called.

"I can still fly," Ilona said as she moved out of distance.

Her flight seemed a lot choppier though. It was full of abrupt stops and drops.

"I can make it back," she said. "I promise."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Chris is wasting those wings on Ilona. I bet if he'd given them to me, I wouldn't have had any trouble getting in and out in a blink.

* * *

(Raging Rivers)

Desdemona was still chasing after Jojo, who wasn't even bothering to face her.

"You think I'm going to just let you get away?" Desdemona scoffed. "One of these arrows has got to stop you."

Yet none of the arrows seemed to slow down the jock. She saw the armor get covered in frost, tar, and what looked like some sort of poison, yet he didn't seem to notice any of it.

"Yeah, well I've got plenty more where that came from," Desdemona said.

This turned out to be false, however, as she had just used her last arrow.

"Great, just great," she scoffed.

She then tossed her bow at Jojo in angry. It snapped at soon as it hit his back.

"Ayyaaa!" Desdemona cried as she charged at Jojo and began punching and kicking at him.

Jojo stopped, turned around, and shoved her to the ground.

"Face it, you lose," he said.

Desdemona glared at him.

"Never," she said as she got back up and began tugging at him.

Jojo just sighed as he kept walking, only now with a girl hanging onto his neck.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I swear, this entire challenge was made to make me look bad. I get an unpredictable ability, which would be useful if I knew how to use it, I get stuck with guarding the prize, and I have to go up against a guy who has no weaknesses.

* * *

Both Ilona and Jojo were making progress back to their camps.

"It's going to be close," Chris noted.

Ilona flapped her wings unevenly as she flew awkwardly closer and closer to the camp. Jojo had reached the base of the mountain and was starting to climb, all while Desdemona tugged and kicked at him.

"I think we're about to see our winner," Chris exclaimed. "And it's…"

…

…

…

…

"Jojo and the Monster Mountains!"

"Yes!" Calvin cheered.

"No surprise there," Jojo remarked.

Meanwhile, Ilona finally landed, but it was too late.

"Oh well," she sighed as she tossed the mannequin aside.

"Rivers, I'll be seeing you for elimination," Chris said. "Make your votes and come on down to the Dock of Shame."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Well, I've got to do a lot of work in a short amount of time if I want to stay.

* * *

(Raging Rivers Camp)

Chelsea had gathered together the entire group.

"Well, everyone, we all did our best, but that challenge just didn't work out for us," she said. "However, I'd like to have an open discussion about who'd be like to vote off, so no one feels blindsided."

"I agree," Ilona said as she and Garfield nodded.

"Now, I really hate having to do this," Chelsea said. "But I'm afraid that it's time for Desdemona to go."

Desdemona just shrugged; she'd been expecting that.

"You did say that you knew that you were going to be leaving at some point," Garfield pointed out. "It might as well be now."

"I understand," Desdemona said. "If this is the path that the fates have chosen for me, then I shall accept it."

"Glad that we worked all that out nicely," Chelsea said.

However, as the team disbanded, Desdemona pulled Chelsea aside on her own.

"Listen, Chelsea, I'm going to repeat what I said earlier," Desdemona said. "If you want to win, you're going to have to vote out Garfield."

"I already told you, he deserves to win," Chelsea said.

"Does he?" Desdemona asked. "He's already rich, he's already helping the world so much as it is. What about Ilona? She could use that money. Wouldn't it make more sense to let her win second to your first?"

"I thought that you didn't care about being voted out," Chelsea said.

"This isn't about me, I'm trying to help you," Desdemona said. "Just think about what I've said."

Desdemona then left Chelsea and headed straight for Misha.

"Misha, I wanted to talk to you," Desdemona said. "I know that you haven't been getting the respect that you deserve. The problem here is, you haven't made any big moves strategically. Well, the way I see it, taking out a threat like Garfield would be a huge move."

"Is that what your spirits told you?" Misha asked.

"Uh…yes," Desdemona said. "But I don't need spirits to know that it's the right move. Just think about it, okay?"

Leaving Misha, Desdemona rushed over to Ilona.

"Hi, Ilona, can I talk to you for a sec?" Desdemona said. "Look, you're a huge physical threat, and once the merge hits, you're going to be targeted. I've seen it in the stars, you're not going to be able to survive for ever. Sooner or later, you're going to slip up and then you'll be out of here. What you need to do is vote out some of the more threatening members. I mean, look at me, I'm like a twig. Garfield on the other hand is a massive threat socially and physically."

Ilona looked unconvinced and said, "I—"

"Just think about it, okay?" Desdemona said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Well, that didn't go well. Looks like I'm doomed…wait, I know, I'll find an idol! (She pulls out her top.) Okay, little guy, where is it? (Spins the top. Pauses.) Look at me! I'm believing in my own phony abilities, I really have lost it!

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

"Rivers, you looked like you might be making a winning streak," Chris remarked as the team arrived at the dock, "but you blew it today. As you can see now, I've got four pinecones, even though there are only five of you."

"We know how it works by now," Misha sighed.

"Fine, fine, let's get this started," Chris said. "First pinecone just to our awkward hawk, Ilona."

Ilona caught the pinecone.

"And I've got another one for Misha," Chris continued. "And Chelsea."

This just left Desdemona and Garfield. Garfield looked a little nervous, but Desdemona looked completely beaten.

"And the final pinecone of the day," Chris concluded, "goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Garfield."

"Sorry, Desdemona," Garfield apologized.

"That's alright," Desdemona sighed as she stood up. "If you guys don't want me here, I guess it's time for me to go."

She started to walk down the dock, but turned around.

"Except, I have the immunity idol!" she announced as she pulled out the totem.

Everyone's jaws dropped open in surprise.

"This is the real deal," Chris said as she passed it to him. "And that means—"

"It means that only one vote counts," Desdemona finished. "Garfield."

"That is correct," Chris said. "Garfield, you are out of here."

"No!" Chelsea cried.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this," Desdemona said. "But Garfield was just too nice. No one would ever vote for him if I didn't take action."

"I understand," Garfield said. "I probably would have done the same thing as you."

"You see, too nice," Desdemona said.

"Well, goodbye, everyone," Garfield said with a smile as he walked down the dock. "It was really nice getting to know all of you. I wish you the best of luck."

"I'll win this for you, Garfield," Chelsea exclaimed. "Then I'll donate half my prize money to…whatever you're supporting at the time."

Garfield waved goodbye as he was launched off on the Spring of Shame.

"The rest of you may head back to your camp," Chris said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**So, I give my top a spin in desperation, and it stops at this rock. I start digging, and what do you know, there it is. Miracles do happen.

**Chelsea-**This is horrible. I think I'm losing Jojo, and now Garfield is gone.

**Misha-**Well, it's not who I would have chosen, but I'm not complaining. Now it should be easier to get that cheerleader out of here.

* * *

**Votes:**

**Chelsea-**I'm sorry, Desdemona, but I just don't know if you're as much as a friend as everyone else here.

**Garfield-**Well, Desdemona, you knew this was coming, so I guess it won't be any surprise.

**Misha-**Sorry, Desdemona, but this game is about staying in power, which you never were.

**Ilona-**Desdemona is not fit, not a team player, and not particularly nice, I don't see any reason for keeping her.

**Desdemona-**Garfield is leaving tonight. I've got an ace up my sleeve. (An ace of hearts falls out of her sleeve.) Uh, other than that one.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And so the idol finally comes into play," Chris said. "Desdemona may have saved herself for now, but she's no doubt made some new enemies. Speaking of enemies, is that where Matilda and Chelsea are headed? And what about Keith and Calvin? Will they stick together, or will one stab the other in the back? Come back next time to see the conclusion of Not Quite Loser Island, and which four will be returning on Total…Drama…Stranded!"

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Once again, Sasha was guiding Stanley to the temple.

"The problem is that the paths are playing tricks on me," Sasha explained. "Every time I believe that I am near the center, I find that I have been led right back in a circle."

"There's got to be some secret to it," Stanley said. "Some hidden way to the center."

The duo arrived to see Rusty digging a whole into the temple.

"Sir Rusty, you have been here all day," Sasha pointed out. "Surely you have found something by now."

"Just this stupid thing," he said as he tossed the key at her.

"Well, that looks interesting," Stanley noted.

"Indeed, I believe I have seen something like this before," Sasha remarked.

She wandered along the side of the monument. Rusty and Stanley followed behind her.

"Right around here," Sasha said.

She pointed to a symbol painted on the wall. It was very faded and blurry, but it seemed to match the item that Rusty had given her.

"Look down here," Stanley said as he rubbed off some dirt.

The dirt had actually crusted over a slot in the wall.

"Do you think it goes in there?" Stanley asked.

"Only one way to find out," Sasha said as she stuck the key in.

It slid in smoothly, despite all the dirt caked to the wall. With a click Sasha turned the key. Suddenly the temple started to groan, as if coming to life after centuries. Gradually pieces of it started to light up. Cracks and stone began to shine scarlet red, just like the ruby on the key. Then with a strained creak, the wall began to lift up.

"I think we found our secret way," Stanley said as he looked down a hallway.

"Onward then!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Uh, you guys go ahead," Rusty said. "I think I could use a little shuteye."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm not going back into that temple. I'll just swipe the idol from them when they come back. Heh heh heh…I think that's the laugh I'm looking for.

* * *

Pamela and Timothy, meanwhile, were still stumbling through the tunnels.

"I thought you said there was a way out," Pamela said in annoyance.

"There was," Timothy assured.

"Well, we've been crawling for hours and hours and we still haven't found anything," Pamela pointed.

"We must have taken a wrong turn," Timothy said. "These tunnels all look the same in the dark."

"Well, no choice now but to keep moving," Pamela sighed.

The duo heard the familiar sound of spiders approaching.

"Keep moving, keep moving," Timothy exclaimed.

The crawled frantically though the tunnels. They slid down slopes and climbed up rocks. Eventually, though, they came to a stop.

"It's just a wall," Timothy exclaimed.

"A dead-end?!" Pamela cried. "We're trapped then. There's nowhere to go!"

They could hear the spiders getting closer and closer.

"Well, I'm not going down without a fight," Pamela said as she raised her stick.

"Maybe there's another way out of here," Timothy said desperately.

They could see the figures of spiders creeping closer now. Pamela was about to charge at them, when something caught her attention. The wall behind them started to glow red. Then slowly, it started to lift up. It revealed a further path.

"Come on, through here," Timothy exclaimed. "I have no idea what happened, but it's got to be better than where we are now."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Timothy-**Pamela and I have just been on the run nonstop lately. I've decided to stop asking questions and just take whatever comes our way for now.

* * *

Back on the beach, Riley and Shannon were trying to enjoy the last bit of sun.

"Just think, we've got to be headed to the Playa soon," Shannon remarked.

"Finally, I can sleep all day," Riley exclaimed.

"And won't that be a change," Shannon said sarcastically.

The two looked up as they saw someone incoming from the sky. Garfield landed clumsily in the sand.

"Sign," Shannon said automatically.

Garfield shook the sand out of his face and got up. He read the instructions on the sign, but noticed that a corner of it was folded in. Curiously he turned it over and found another message. 'To get you started, I've given you a freebie, just under the sign,' the message read.

"Well, someone's obviously got that one already," Garfield said.

But he still decided to dig through the sand. To his surprise, he found that the totem was still there.

"Well, what do you know," he exclaimed

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Shannon-**I don't know why I even bothered trying to get back. I'd much rather spend the rest of my summer at a nice resort and not on some crappy island with people I hate.

**Garfield-**Looks like I might be coming back after all. This was basically just handed to me.

_Author's Note: Garfield was a character that got received a lot differently than I expected. I planned for him to be a Gary-Stu (look at his name), a guy who is perfect in every way. He was supposed to be annoying, yet most people seemed to like him. Regardless, Desdemona had the right idea, though, as no one would ever want to vote for him. Now the question is, will he be making it back, and who else could be returning? I'll be setting up a poll soon for you to send me your guess._


	18. Bringing Redemption to the Island

_Author's Note: Hey, everyone, sorry for a bit of a delay. Like I said, school is keeping me busy. On another note, one of my readers, Alexa Molina, has started up her own series, Total Drama High School. It's pretty good and I'm sure she'd love the support, so go ahead and check it out!_

"Welcome back to Total Drama Stranded," Chris exclaimed. "It's not often that we have two teams perfectly matched, yet that seems to be the case this season. We've got four Rivers and four Mountains, but today those eight will be coming together. As well, we'll be throwing four more into the mix as we finish up Not Quite Loser Island. Who will pull through and make it back? Will Rusty's scheming ever pay off? Will Sasha finally conquer the temple that she's spent day after day exploring? Will Briony return to get her vengeance on everyone remaining? Anything can happen, so get ready for an intense battle on Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Raging Rivers Camp)

"Wakey, wakey, campers!" Chris's voice blared. "We've got a big day ahead of us."

The four girls groaned as they were brought out of there sleep.

"That's strange," Chelsea remarked. "Chris never calls us this early."

"Well, it would seem that we've got a big challenge to face then," Ilona remarked.

"Maybe he's going to drop us off somewhere nasty again," Misha suggested.

"Don't worry," Chelsea said. "The three of us will stick together and take on whatever Chris has for us."

"Three?" Desdemona asked as she stepped up in front of the girls.

"That's right," Chelsea sniffed. "As far as I'm concerned a traitor like you is not a member of my team."

"I'm a traitor?" Desdemona asked. "You were planning on voting me out. I did what I had to survive."

"But you didn't have to take out Garfield," Chelsea argued. "He was so nice, so selfless, so perfect."

"Exactly," Desdemona said dryly. "But if you'd rather that I vote out you, I'll do that soon enough."

"Whatever happened to your vision of you walking the Dock of Shame?" Chelsea asked. "Why are you even trying to win?"

Desdemona was caught off guard and could not come up with an answer quickly.

"We should get moving," Ilona said. "We don't want to fall behind on whatever Chris wants us to do."

"Did you say where we were supposed to go?" Chelsea asked.

"I think we can figure it out," Misha said as she pointed to a series of arrow signs pointing deeper into the jungle.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Chelsea does not seem to understand how this game works. Not everybody is going to be her friend, especially not when we're getting this close to the end.

**Chelsea-**One of the many lessons I've learned from cheerleading is that teamwork is the foundation of everything. If a girl misses her cue for the pyramid then the whole thing comes crashing down. By the way, Desdemona is that girl.

**Ilona-**I'd rather not get involved with this conflict. We're going to have to give our full focus to the challenges, when it comes time to vote, then I'll choose who to lose.

* * *

(Monster Mountains Camp)

"Wakey, wakey, campers!" Chris's voice blared. "We've got a big day ahead of us."

Keith, already being up, jumped down from his tree and to the shelter.

"Well, you heard him, guys," he exclaimed. "Up, up, up."

Calvin woke up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He noticed that Matilda was sleeping right against Jojo who had his arm draped over her.

"I'm too comfy to get up," Matilda yawned.

"Come on," Calvin said with a hint of irritation as he gave her a light kick.

"Okay, okay, like, chill out," Matilda exclaimed as she stretched out.

"I had a great dream," Jojo exclaimed. "You were in it."

"Really?!" Matilda exclaimed with excitement.

Calvin just rolled his eyes at Keith.

"How about you?" Jojo asked.

"Um…I had a dream about shopping," Matilda said. "And, like, everything was half-price. And I was, like, this is great and all, but like, what's it going to do to the economy, you know."

"Don't worry, Jojo, I'm sure she's dreamed of you before," Keith reassured the jock.

"Whatever, come on let's get moving," Calvin grumbled.

"Ooh, somebody's cranky," Matilda exclaimed.

"True," Keith replied. "I'm surprised it took you sixteen days to figure that out."

Matilda stuck her tongue out playfully.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**My alliance is not going the way I wanted. Keith is far too smart for my liking, and Matilda is annoying. Not to mention, she's attached herself to Jojo permanently. I've got to do something about this fast.

**Matilda-**Like, Calvin is pretty cool and all, but, like, he's not exactly what I'd call BFF material, you know. Oh well, maybe I'll get back to Chelsea soon.

**Keith-**I think it's pretty obvious that Chris is merging us today. I won't say anything, though, I'd hate to spoil the surprise for the others.

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Stanley and Sasha had spent the night sleeping in the trees in the jungle.

"Today's the day, Sir Stanley," Sasha exclaimed. "Today we reap the treasure that awaits us in this malevolent complex."

"That's the plan," Stanley laughed as he jumped down from a tree.

"Arm yourself," Sasha exclaimed as she tossed a stick to Stanley. "There's no telling what foul trickery awaits us in the lair of the beast."

"You can count on me," Stanley assured her as he twirled his stick around.

"Remember, don't let your guard down, always prepare to jump out of the way, and expect the unexpected," Sasha said.

"Let's do this," Stanley said.

The two of them then began walking straight down the hallway of the temple.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**Sasha and I checked out that passage last night and it seems like it's the real deal. We didn't find any traps or anything. Today we're going to find out what's down there.

**Sasha-**After some time and work, it's about to all pay off. Soon Lady Sasha shall achieve her deserving reward!

* * *

Rusty was hiding behind a bush and listening in on their conversation.

"All according to the master plan," he remarked. "Those two fools will get that idol out of danger, and that's when I swipe it from them."

As he walked back to the camp, he formulated how he would steal the idol.

"Let's see, it's all about misdirection," he muttered. "I'll need a distraction, something big. Then, I'll need to move fast and silently. Perhaps I should—"

He stopped when something very alluring caught his eye. He spotted Garfield sitting on a rock, but that wasn't what he was interested in. Instead he was staring at the idol in his hand.

"Things just got easier," he exclaimed.

He then turned to the trees and called, "Racoon!"

Aurelius popped out of the leaves.

"Change of plans," Rusty said. "Our new target: that guy."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**I tell ya, when you're a villain like me, these things are just handed to you. Now all I'll have to do is remove the idol from that rich doofus. But with a sap like him, and skills like mine, he'll practically give it to me. Heh, heh, heh.

* * *

Timothy and Pamela had spent the night in a dank cavern. The ground was rough and uncomfortable, and one of them had to be awake at all times to make sure no spiders were coming.

"Well, where to now?" Timothy asked.

"Only choice is to keep moving forward," Pamela replied. "It's got to lead somewhere."

"Unless it doesn't," Timothy sighed.

The two continued to crawl through the damp cave. Something that Timothy had noticed lately was that the roof of the cavern seemed different than before. It seemed unnatural, like it was manmade. He didn't comment on this, though, it didn't seem important.

"Something's coming," Pamela declared as she tightened her grip on her makeshift spear.

"Wait," Timothy said. "We can't afford to fight every time we hear something."

He led her over to some rocks where they crouched down and hid. Both of them held their breath as slowly a spider crept past them. It seemed to slow down as it approached the rock, then kept moving.

"I could have handled that bug," Pamela declared.

"I have no doubts about that," Timothy replied. "But like I said, you can't afford to waste your strength every time. We don't know what awaits us, and we need to stay strong."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Timothy-**Did Chris know that there were man-eating spiders on this island when he chose it? Maybe, but I bet he wasn't counting on a girl going crazy, taking control of them, and using them to try and kill us.

**Pamela-**If there's one bright side to this, it's that I can take out my anger on these monsters.

* * *

Briony was currently travelling with a pack of spiders as they spread out through the jungle. She searched the ground for any signs of Elijah.

"You can't hide from me," she growled. "I'll find you."

Elijah actually wasn't too far. He was clinging to the back of a tree. His clothes were ripped and his face looked exhausted. Yet as soon as he heard Briony and her army approaching her bolted off as fast as he could.

"What's that?" Briony exclaimed as she heard his footsteps. "After him!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**I can't keep up with this running. I've got to think of a plan. Sadly, thinking isn't exactly my strong suit.

* * *

(Waterfall)

The two teams were both coming closer to the waterfall. Desdemona fallen behind the three, much more fit, girls.

"Yeah, yeah, just leave me behind," she grumbled as she followed behind them. "See if I care."

As the girls arrived at the waterfall, though, they ran into the Monster Mountains climbing down.

"Well, looks like we're all here," Ilona said. "But where's Chris?"

Chelsea was sure to notice Matilda holding onto Jojo. Matilda waved at her, but Chelsea just glared back.

"Um, guys, I don't think we've arrived yet," Keith said as he pointed at some more arrows directing them.

"Looks like we'll have to travel together," Misha remarked.

Calvin immediately took the lead of the two teams. As the group walked through the forest, Chelsea continued to send looks at Matilda. Matilda just looked nervous in return. Keith and Desdemona took up the rear.

"Hello, Desdemona, having trouble with your team?" Keith asked.

"I'll have you know that I have a great relationship with everyone on my team," Desdemona said.

"Really? Because I heard you yelling a bit when you were walking here," Keith pointed out.

"Oh, and I suppose you're just Mr. Popular at your camp," Desdemona snapped.

"As a matter of fact, I am," Keith replied. "There's no one who would dare vote me. So I don't think I'll be going anywhere."

"I wouldn't have any problems with voting you off," Desdemona countered.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to beat you to it then," Keith replied. "And with what you told me about having your team against you, that shouldn't be too hard."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**As much as my team my dislike me, I'm still glad that I'm not on the same team as Keith. I will not let him win this thing!

**Keith-**If this is the merge, than I should have no trouble getting rid of Desdemona. While I've been making allies, all she's been doing is making enemies.

**Matilda-**Chelsea keeps giving me these, like, weird looks. I hope she's not too, too mad, you know. Once I explain, maybe she'll calm down.

**Chelsea-**As soon as I get Matilda alone I am going to find out what is going on with her and Jojo. And she'd better say, 'nothing'…and it had better be the truth.

* * *

After traveling even further, the campers ended up on a beach on the other end of the island. Chris was waiting for them in the center of the beach.

"Campers, so glad you could make it," Chris exclaimed.

"What's the challenge, Chris?" Calvin asked.

"Yeah…about that," Chris said mischievously. "The thing is, there is no challenge today!"

"Then what are we doing here?" Chelsea asked.

"Well you see, it's time we said farewell to the titles of Raging Rivers and Monster Mountains," Chris said. "And from now on you shall work as one team…The Battling Beaches!"

"Saw it coming," Keith remarked. "About time we merged."

"What about, like, our shelters and stuff?" Matilda asked.

"That's what today is for," Chris explained. "You'll spending your time getting to know everyone as well working on building a new camp right here on the beach. Well, ta-ta, I've got to go."

With that Chris jumped into his helicopter and flew off, leaving the campers on the beach.

"Well, I suppose we should get to work on the shelter," Chelsea said.

"You can leave that to me," Ilona said. "I think I can have something done by tonight."

"Super-duper!" Matilda exclaimed. "That means that the rest of us can, like, talk about stuff."

Ilona went off to gather logs to use, while the other campers spread out amongst themselves. Chelsea spotted Matilda and pulled her aside.

"We need to talk," Chelsea told her.

Jojo was about to approach them, but we he figured out what was going on, he backed up.

"I'm staying out of this one," he remarked.

"Okay, like, I can explain," Matilda said.

"Aha! So it is true," Chelsea exclaimed. "You did steal Jojo from me."

"Alright, just take a chill pill," Matilda said. "First of all, like, I didn't actually steal him because, you know, you weren't actually dating or anything."

"Oh, and that's supposed to make it alright?" Chelsea scoffed. "I made it pretty clear that I had a feeling for Jojo, yet you just couldn't resist taking him all for yourself."

"Let me finish!" Matilda snapped. "Jojo likes me. He wrote me a romantic note and everything."

"No, he likes me!" Chelsea snapped back. "I know we had a connection. You must have tricked him somehow. What kind of seduction did you use on him?"

"I don't know what you're, like, talking about," Matilda said. "And I thought we were supposed to be, like, friends."

"Friends don't steal boys from each other," Chelsea said.

She then stormed off in the opposite direction.

"Oh, this is working out better than I had thought," Keith laughed to himself from his vantage point in a tree.

He then turned his attention to Desdemona. The girl was currently approaching Calvin.

"Hi, there," Desdemona said. "So, now that we're merged, I was thinking—"

"Um, don't even talk to me," Calvin said. "Seriously, just being near you is painful enough."

Desdemona huffed as she marched away from Calvin. Keith smiled as she failed to make any new connections. Instead, Desdemona decided to just help Ilona carry a large log.

"Do you need any help building this?" Desdemona asked.

"I think I'm good," Ilona replied. "Although, if you want to help, I won't stop you."

"That's about my only option right now," Desdemona sighed.

As Keith scanned the grounds, he realized that Misha was nowhere in sight.

"Now, where could she have gone off to?" he wondered.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**I've had to deal with enough girl drama back home. I've found it's best if you just let them work it out among themselves, and don't get involved.

**Desdemona-**Great, just great, I finally make it to the merge and I still can't make any allies. My only hope is that the others start fighting with each other and let me slip by.

**Ilona-**I feel that the merge is a good point for a clean start. I'd like to put all this fighting behind us and just have a friendly competition. For that reason, I'm building a shelter big enough for all of us.

**Chelsea-**I can't believe I used to be friends with that no good, boyfriend stealing, backstabbing…

**Matilda-**Well, like, that didn't go as plan. But it's like Keith says, if Chelsea can't, like, forgive me, then she's not my friend, you know.

**Misha-**As if I was going to spend any more time with those losers. This is the moment I've been waiting for. From now on, I'm playing for me.

**Keith-**We've only be merged for less than an hour, and already conflict is breaking out. This is going to be easy.

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Stanley and Sasha had been walking down the glowing hallway for a while now. Sasha was still moving with caution, but they had yet to face any traps.

"I think it's safe," Stanley remarked. "We can pick up the pace."

"That's what they want you to think," Sasha replied. "Like I said, you can never let your guard down."

"Well, I guess you've got more experience at this than I have," Stanley shrugged.

They continued at the same slow pace. Every once in a while Sasha would pause to examine the floor or the walls. But, like Stanley said, the two were perfectly safe. Eventually the hall spread out into a large room. The vast chamber was glowing even brighter than the rest of the temple. In the center of the room was a massive, stone statue. Unlike the rest of the temple, it seemed to be in new condition.

"Look!" Stanley exclaimed.

He rushed towards the statue, which had its hands outstretched. Inside its palm was a wooden totem in the shape of Chris McClean's head.

"We've found it," Stanley cheered.

"Ha ha, no temple could keep out Lady Sasha!" Sasha exclaimed.

Eagerly she reached out and picked up the idol.

"Now let's get out of here," Stanley said. "I'm thinking we're going to need to celebrate tonight."

The two turned back to where they had come in from. Suddenly the exit became barred shut.

"What the?" Stanley muttered.

"A trap!" Sasha exclaimed. "I should have known. These temples don't give up that easy, you know."

The glow intensified further. Then the room began to shake violently.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Stanley remarked.

"Do your worst, temple!" Sasha challenged. "Nothing is stopping me now!"

As the rumbling continued, the statue that had held the idol began to move.

"I cannot believe this," Stanley exclaimed as the statue stood up and began to approach them.

"If it's a fight he wants, let's give it to him," Sasha exclaimed as she gripped her stick.

"I'm not so sure about this," Stanley said.

"No time for fear," Sasha said. "Now is the time for only courage!"

With that she charged towards the statue.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Stanley-**So there are two explanations here: first, we're actually in a cursed temple, or Chris put a lot of effort into effects. If it's the first, then we're doomed, if it's the second…we're still doomed.

**Sasha-**Now is the moment to truly prove my worth as a knight.

* * *

Rusty was stealthily following Garfield. Next to him, Aurelius scurried with him.

"Here's the plan," Rusty said. "I'll talk to him and keep him distracted. That's when you crawl up and swipe that idol. If you do that then I promise I'll throw in a jumbo TV and a collection of raccoon related DVDs to the reserve."

Aurelius squeaked in approval. Rusty then emerged from his hiding spot and approached Garfield.

"Hey there, friend," he greeted. "How are you doing?"

"I'm pretty good," Garfield replied. "Although I was hoping to talk to my brother. Have you seen him?"

"I think he's somewhere out there in the jungle," Rusty said. "Probably finding himself an idol right now."

"Well, I guess I can wait," Garfield sighed. "I just feel so bad about the little guy."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh," Rusty said as he spotted Aurelius creeping over to Garfield. "Why don't you tell me all about that?"

"Well, I always thought we had a good relationship going on," Garfield said. "But I realized that I really haven't spent that much time with him. I guess he feels a little neglected and overshadowed. When I think about it, I realize that I'd hate to be constantly compared to my brother."

Aurelius was just stretching out his paw to grab the idol. Suddenly, Garfield stood up though.

"I think I'll go back to watching the waves," he said. "It really is quite soothing, and maybe that'll help me think more about this."

"Uh…are you sure you don't want to sit back down?" Rusty asked. "I could make some soothing wave sounds if you'd like."

"No, that's alright," Garfield said. "But you're welcome to come with me if you want."

"Sure, I'll do that," Rusty said. "And maybe we could talk some more about your brother. I'm sure you've got a lot to get off your chest."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**I've hit the jackpot, this guy is obviously too wrapped up in his family issues to focus on his surroundings. Now I just need that idiot raccoon to hurry up and take it from him.

**Garfield-**I don't even know what I'm going to say to Timothy when I see him. 'Hey Timmy, sorry for neglecting and outshining you for the last few years'?

* * *

Elijah was nonstop sprinting through the jungle. He constantly twisted and turned as he ran around trees, through shrubs, and over ditches. Eventually his body couldn't take anymore and he had to collapse against a tree to regain himself. He looked around and didn't see any movement nearby.

"Okay, I've lost her for now," he wheezed to himself. "Now I need to think of a solution."

He looked around at his surroundings, but all he saw was the same thing. Trees, bushes, rocks, and grass.

"Okay, okay," he repeated to himself. "A trap. I need a trap."

He thought he heard a sound and froze in terror. However, when he wasn't immediately ripped apart, he realized that he was safe for a little while longer.

"A trap," he continued to repeat. "How am I going to do that? I need to think of something."

He grabbed a fallen vine and began to examine what he could possibly use it for.

"Come on, think, think!" he told himself as he banged his head against a tree. "Think! THINK!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**(with a bruised forehead) Alright, I've got a plan that should work…but that might just be the concussion talking.

* * *

Pamela and Timothy were just getting deeper and deeper into the catacombs.

"I can't see anything but black," Timothy remarked.

Pamela just grunted something in reply as she continued to work through the darkness. It took a while longer, but eventually they spotted something in the distance.

"It's light," Timothy said. "It's some sort of red light."

With renewed energy the two scurried over to the source of the light. However, they found that it was not one light, but rather the entire ceiling was lighting up in a dim, red glow.

"What is this?" Timothy muttered in awe.

"Who cares?" Pamela scoffed. "The fact is, it's not going to help us escape."

As the two explored the new, lighted area, they began to hear a dreadfully familiar sound.

"Nowhere to hide now," Pamela declared.

As soon as the first spider entered her line of sight, she pounced on it and jabbed her spear right through its body.

"Pamela, on your left!" Timothy exclaimed.

Pamela moved fast and skewered the oncoming spider.

"Two more on either side!" Timothy called out.

Pamela twirled around and dealt with post spiders skillfully. Timothy was about to call out more when he realized that a spider was headed straight for him. Frantically he kicked the spider against a wall and it crumbled down.

"I think we showed them for now," Pamela declared as she stomped her foot into the last spider corpse.

"Well, let's hope they don't bring reinforcements," Timothy remarked.

As he tried to get back with Pamela, he bumped into what he thought was a furry wall. However, looking up he said that it was attached to a gargantuan body. It was a leg attached to a spider that was ten times as big as the others.

"What is that?!" Pamela cried.

"It looks like we've found the real queen of the spiders," Timothy said petrified.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Timothy-**If there are any biologists out there, I suggest that you take another look at this island.

* * *

(Battling Beaches Camp)

Ilona and Desdemona were making good progress on the shelter. It was shaping up to be larger than the past shelters.

"You're going to have to make two," Chelsea said. "Because I am not sleeping with that lying, traitorous, boyfriend thief, Matilda."

"No," Ilona grunted in disappointment. "I want the eight of us to just get along for the remainder of the season. There's already been so much drama, do you have to start more?"

"I'm not the one starting drama," Chelsea sniffed. "It's Matilda's fault and she should be the one you blame. Also, don't think you're off the hook, Desdemona. You'd better get started on the shelter you'll be sharing with Matilda."

"Um, excuse me?" Desdemona scoffed. "I am helping to build this shelter right here."

"Pfft, 'helping'?" Chelsea snorted. "You mean standing next to Ilona so it looks like you're doing work?"

"Enough, Chelsea," Ilona ordered. "If you want a separate shelter, fine, but you can build it yourself."

Meanwhile, Matilda had grabbed Keith and was talking to him.

"I mean, I haven't even done anything wrong, you know," she ranted. "I mean, it's not like a girl can, like, patent a relationship with a guy, right. I don't see what Chelsea is getting so worked up about."

"Uh-huh," Keith said as he tried to stand up. "Well, I'd love to help you, bu—"

"You would? That's great!" Matilda exclaimed. "For starters, could you listen to a list of, like, nicknames I've come up with for Chelsea?"

"I don't know," Keith said still trying to leave.

"Okay, first off, Cheer-Loser," Matilda began. "You know, 'cause she's, like, a cheerleader, but also a loser."

"I get it," Keith said dryly.

"Okay, number two…um, like, do you have any idea?" Matilda asked.

"Not off the top of my head," Keith replied.

"Well, that's okay," Matilda said. "We can have, like, a brainstorming session. Okay, like, I'll think of words that rhyme with 'Chelsea,' and you think of words that sound like 'cheerleader.'"

Jojo was still watching Matilda, but seeing Keith's bored face, he realized that it might still be best to avoid her. Instead he decided to find Calvin. He spotted the boy heading off into the forest again.

"Hey, man, where are you going?" Jojo asked.

"I just need a break from all this," Calvin remarked. "There's no challenge today and I'm taking advantage of that."

"Hey, good idea," Jojo said. "I should probably get out of here before things turn really ugly."

The two walked off into the forest and eventually arrived back at the waterfall.

"So, who are we going to crush next?" Jojo asked. "How about the girl in the yellow dress? I mean, if anyone screams 'freak' it's her."

"Can we please not talk about that now?" Calvin sighed as he sat down on a rock.

"What's wrong?" Jojo asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Calvin replied. "I'd just like a break from playing the bully."

"You're not a bully," Jojo insisted. "You're awesome. Those guys deserved to be pushed around."

"You actually believe that?" Calvin scoffed. "They didn't deserve that; we just need to make sure they think that."

"I'm confused," Jojo said as he scratched his head.

"It's a vicious cycle, okay," Calvin explained "You can either be on top as a bully, or on the bottom as a victim. And believe me, it's better to be on the top. Which means there always has to be someone beneath you. As soon as you let them get above you, they will take the chance to squash you. Which is why I need to act first."

"So…all those people we voted off weren't actually freaks?" Jojo asked.

"No, they were, that's a good enough reason to target them," Calvin replied. "But like I said, I need a break from all that. Let's just take this time to relax."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I don't feel any sympathy for the people I've stepped on to get ahead; it would only slow me down. While I wish it could be different, the truth is, it's not.

**Jojo-**Calvin's overthinking things. I find that thinking too much is never a good idea. I hope the cool Calvin comes back soon.

**Ilona-**(sighs) We're only halfway through the day and everything is falling apart. I thought the merge would help, but it's just made everything worse.

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

Sasha had charged at the living statue and was swinging her stick against its body. She did not seem to be having any impact on it. The golem raised its arm as if it was ready to strike her.

"Look out!" Stanley exclaimed as he grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Sir Stanley, do not interfere," Sasha ordered. "If you do not wish to fight, then let me defeat this monstrosity on my own."

"Just…don't get hurt," Stanley said.

"That shan't be a problem," Sasha declared as she charged at the statue again.

She continued to jab at it wherever she could, yet the golem seemed unaffected. It raised its arm again, but its movement was slow and Sasha was able to easily dodge.

Just underneath the temple, Pamela and Timothy were facing a different monster. The giant spider thundered as it stomped towards them.

"We need to get out of here," Pamela said.

"Agreed," Timothy replied as he darted in the reverse direction.

Pamela followed after them. The spider let out a ferocious hiss as it continued to chase its prey.

"Quick, if we can make it through that tunnel, it might not be able to follow us," Timothy exclaimed.

The two were quickly approaching the narrowing point, but the spider's long strides allowed it to catch up faster. It stamped one of its feet in front of the tunnel.

"Move it!" Pamela barked as she jabbed her spear right into the leg.

The spider let up another hiss, this time in agony. Its foot recoiled, and allowed Timothy and Pamela to sprint past it and into the tunnel.

Up on the surface, Elijah was preparing to deal with his spider problem. He had hastily set up his trap and was now waiting for Briony to arrive.

"Okay, let's go over this one more time," he said to himself. "When she shows up I cut this vine, which releases this branch, which knocks her over this rock, which sends her stumbling headfirst into a tree, and she's out cold. Brain, I swear, if you screwed me over this time I am never using you again."

Briony was arriving now with her spiders.

"Here goes nothing," Elijah squeaked as he snapped the vine.

The branch that was being held back by the vine swung forward. It smacked Briony in the face and caused her to stumble over a slippery rock. She jerked forward and slammed right into a tree. She then collapsed on the ground.

"It worked!" Elijah cheered.

However, he wasn't in the clear yet. The spiders were now swarming around him.

"Eek!" he cried. "Out of my way."

He shuffled through the horde of spiders as fast as he could and headed straight for Briony.

"Back off or she gets it!" he exclaimed as he picked up Briony's unconscious body.

The spiders halted.

"That's right, just stay right there," Elijah said.

He put Briony down and turned to leave. However, he stopped himself and turned around again. He leaned down and picked up Briony.

"Time to get out of here," he said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**I couldn't just leave Briony there. I got her into this disaster, and it's up to me to get her out.

* * *

Rusty and Garfield were sitting in the sand now.

"So, tell me more about your many, complex issues," Rusty asked.

"Well, like I said, the whole thing makes me feel pretty bad," Garfield said. "I mean, all I ever try to do is good, yet there's no way to be perfect. By trying so hard to help people, it ended up hurting my brother."

"Fascinating," Rusty said as watched Aurelius creep closer once more. "And how do you plan to fix this?"

"I guess I just need to stop trying so hard," Garfield remarked. "Maybe take a break from trying to save the world and just spend some time with my brother."

Aurelius was close now, but Garfield jumped up in shock when a wave splashed over his feet.

"Oh no, my socks are soaking wet now," he exclaimed.

Rusty punched the sand in frustration. Meanwhile, further along the beach, Shannon and Riley were just relaxing in the sun.

"I can't wait to hit the Playa," Shannon exclaimed. "Maybe there'll be some cute interns there who can actually handle me."

"Don't bet on it," Riley said to her.

And on a different point of the beach, Esme has actually gotten Jason to calm down.

"Eyesight is merely a pathway for sights to reach the inner eye," Esme said. "However, there are other ways for you to see beauty. Let your inner eye visualize a beautiful, golden beach with aquamarine waves cascading along the shore. Can you see it?"

"It's beautiful," Jason replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**All I can say is, worst summer ever. Once I get home I am never going on a vacation again.

* * *

Sasha was furiously diving from side to side as she swiped at her opponent. She rolled to avoid his blows and never let up on her attacks. Stanley meanwhile was watching the statue and trying to find some hidden weakness on it. Eventually he noticed something. While most of the stone was perfectly smooth, there was a small crack in the back of the head.

"Sasha, keep him busy," Stanley said. "I'm going to try something."

Stanley jumped behind the statue and smacked his stick against the crack. The statue froze. Then the room started to rubble again.

"You did it!" Sasha exclaimed. "You have slain the guardian of the temple."

The room only increased in shaking though. Stanley stumbled to the ground and had to be helped up by Sasha.

"Look," she exclaimed as the door became open again.

"We'd better get out of here," Stanley said.

The two made their way across the trembling ground. Soon the bricks in the floor began to disappear as they fell down below.

"Faster!" Sasha cried.

Meanwhile, below them, a giant spider was being pelted by bricks. As more in more rained down on the creature, it decided to retreat and backed out of the line of fire.

"It's leaving!" Timothy exclaimed.

"And it looks like we've got our way out of here," Pamela said as the bricks formed a pile that could be used as stairs.

The duo climbed up and pulled themselves into the next room. They arrived just in time to see Stanley and Sasha dashing through the door. Before they followed though, Timothy spotted something.

"Look, it's an idol," Timothy said as he grabbed the totem lodged in between the bricks. "It must have been dropped down there at some point."

"Great, grab it and let's go," Pamela said.

The two then sprinted after Stanley and Sasha straight down the hallway.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Out of everyone here, Timothy most deserves to return. Unlike most of the horrid scum on this island.

* * *

(Battling Beaches Camp)

The sun was starting to set as Ilona finished off the shelter. She was covered in sweat and exhausted.

"Well, it was hard work, but it'll be worth it when night comes," Ilona remarked.

"How's your shelter coming?" Desdemona asked Chelsea.

Chelsea's shelter was no more than a fragile teepee made out of twigs.

"Well, you guys stole all the good sticks," Chelsea pouted.

"Chelsea, just calm down," Ilona said. "All this is, is a place to sleep. There's no reason why you can't share it with all of us."

"I guess," Chelsea sighed.

"Great work, Ilona," Calvin said as he arrived with Jojo. "It sure was nice of you to build a shelter for us, but I don't see one for you."

"There's enough room for all of us," Ilona declared.

"Nope," Calvin snorted. "There are only a few of us here who deserve to sleep in that. Me, Jojo, maybe Barbie over there."

"I'm only agreeing if Matilda leaves," Chelsea said.

"Hey! I deserve to sleep in the same shelter as more, like, boyfriend," Matilda retorted. "That's right. My boyfriend, Jojo!"

"Need I remind you people that while you were wasting time, we actually built this shelter?" Desdemona insisted. "I mean, if you don't want to sleep here, then you should have been working on your own."

"Well, here's a tip for you, don't dress like you're from the circus," Calvin said. "I mean, that bright yellow dress will probably keep us all awake."

As the arguing just increased, Ilona sighed and walked over to the scrawny teepee, Chelsea had set up.

"I may not be perfect, but at least no one's fighting over here," Ilona sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**Yep, good to have the old Calvin.

**Calvin-**I may have had a moment of weakness today, but I'm not going to let anything stop me from taking charge of this game again.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the woods, Misha had taken off her dress to reveal tight, magenta unitard. She was performing various stretches and gymnastic moves.

"Very impressive," Keith said as he approached her.

Misha froze and turned around.

"I always thought that there might be more to you," he said. "But now I know."

"Yeah, that's right, I'm not your helpless little girl, and what are you going to do about it?" Misha sneered.

"Well, I suppose I'll tell the others," Keith replied.

"Go ahead," Misha said. "I don't give a f**k who knows now. You know why, because I am unstoppable. All this time I've had to hold back so people wouldn't get suspicious, but now no one can beat me."

"We'll see about that," Keith said.

"Are you asking for a fight?" Misha demanded.

"You could say that," Keith said. "But I'll leave you be for now."

He then turned to leave.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**I took some time to lose that damn dress and practice my moves. I still got it and I don't care how many of those idiots now. There is absolutely nothing than can do about it now.

**Keith-**Looks like I'll have to add someone to my 'elimination' list.

* * *

(Not Quite Loser Island)

"Attention reject campers!" Chris's voice announced. "I will be coming to the island in one hour. Whoever I see with an idol will be returning. If no one has an idol, then so be it, no is returning. So you'd better hurry up and get them. That is all."

The temple in the jungle came crumbling down into the ground. Luckily, Stanley and Sasha made their escape, with Pamela and Timothy following right behind them.

"We did it, we're safe!" Sasha cried as she hugged Stanley.

"We're alive!" Timothy cheered.

"Now the question is, we've got two idols and four people," Stanley said as he gestured around at everyone. "Who gets them?"

There was a brief silence.

"I think you've earned this, Sir Stanley," Sasha said as she handed the idol to Stanley. "It was you who defeated the guardian with your quick thinking."

"Are you sure you want me to have this?" Stanley asked.

"Positive," Sasha replied. "I've had my adventure. But you still need to finish your own."

"Well, I think Timothy should keep ours," Pamela said. "You deserve it."

"Actually…I think you should take it," Timothy said.

"What?" Pamela exclaimed. "No. You're such a good person, you're one of the only good people here. I'm horrid, nasty, mean—"

"Pamela, you've shown me that you can be a good person," Timothy said. "You took on an army of spiders just to save me. You know what, I think the first step to being better isn't to stop being so hard on others, it's to stop being so hard on yourself."

Pamela didn't know how to respond.

"Here, take it," Timothy said as he placed the idol in her hands. "You do deserve it, and I want you to see that."

"Now, let's get back to camp before Chris shows up," Stanley said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Timothy-**I don't need the money, my family is already rich. I just wanted to prove to everyone that I could beat my brother…yet by doing that I was still keeping myself in his shadow.

* * *

Garfield was continuing to explain his story to a very uninterested Rusty. Rusty had since given up trying to steal his idol, now that Garfield was pacing back and forth.

"…and it didn't even stop here," Garfield continued. "I'm still outshining people. In fact, that's the whole reason that I got eliminated. Desdemona thought that I would prevent other people from winning. I mean, how is that fair? I'm already rich, I don't need the money, why should I stand in the way of someone who does?"

"Mhmm," Rusty muttered barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Say…would you like to do a favor for me?" Garfield asked.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Rusty mumbled.

"Take this," Garfield said as he handed him the idol.

"What…you're just giving this to me?" Rusty exclaimed in shock.

"I don't need it," Garfield remarked. "If I go back, I'd just be in the way again. Besides, I got what I wanted. I was on TV, I made some new friends, and I got to have a new experience. But you, you were voted out early."

"Don't remind me," Rusty grumbled.

"You deserve a second chance," Garfield said.

"Well…thank you!" Rusty exclaimed as he hugged Garfield. "You won't regret this!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**Heh, heh, heh, what'd I tell you? All according to the master plan.

* * *

Soon, Elijah arrived back at the camp. He was dragging a still unconscious Briony behind him. He gently placed her down in the shelter. He then noticed that she was still clutching her idol.

"Can't let you have that," Elijah said as he pried it out of her fingers. "You need to get help, not go back to the island."

"I can see Chris's helicopter!" Shannon exclaimed.

"I can't see it…but I _can_ hear it," Jason remarked. "Who knew the other four senses could be so useful?"

Sasha, Stanley, Pamela, and Timothy were all racing back to the camp as well. Just as they arrived, though, Stanley slipped on a rock and let go of his idol. It flew through the air and landed right in Riley's lap. He was startled as he woke up from his nap.

"Somebody lose this?" he asked as he held it up.

It was just then that the helicopter landed and Chris got out.

"Hello losers," Chris greeted. "And it looks like four of you will be returning. Pamela, Rusty, Elijah, and Riley!"

"What?" Riley exclaimed. "Oh no, this isn't mine. I think it's Stanley's."

"Too bad for Stanley," Chris said. "You're the one holding it, which means that you're the one who gets to go back."

"But I don't want to go back," Riley whined. "Can't I just give it to Stanley?"

"No can do," Chris replied. "No get in the chopper."

Pamela, Rusty, and Elijah were all happy to get one, Riley was not.

"And for the rest of you, there's a nice boat coming to pick up you and take you to Playa Des Losers," Chris said.

Shannon cheered happily.

"Oh, and before I forget," Chris said. "Let's have a big hand for or technicians and biological engineers for creating all of these realistic, yet harmless monsters."

"Harmless?!" Timothy exclaimed.

"Well…mostly harmless," Chris laughed. "Anyways, adios, losers!"

With that he took off with the four returnees. As the remainders waited for the boat, Garfield approached Timothy.

"Hey, Timmy, can we talk?" he asked.

"Yeah…I think we should," Timothy replied.

Briony was beginning to wake up as she rubbed her head.

"Oh…what happened?" she groaned.

"You've been through much horror," Esme said to her. "But it'll be already now."

Sasha, meanwhile, comforted Stanley.

"I'm sorry that Chris wouldn't let you return," Sasha said. "You are a much better warrior than Riley the Sloth."

"Don't worry about it," Stanley said. "I'm looking forward to Playa Des Losers, and you should be too."

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**How will I play any different? Well, I am not going to be such a jerk. I never should have been so mean to Briony, and I have to make sure that doesn't happen again.

**Pamela-**I guess I could sort of, kind of, give the others the slightly fraction of another chance.

**Riley-**I want out of here!

**Rusty-**What will I do differently? Absolutely nothing! As you can see, being bad does pay off, it got me right back here, and it'll get me to the end.

**Elijah-**I'm looking forward to seeing Desdemona again. I really do fancy her.

**Pamela-**But I'm not going to going any easier on my enemies. For starters, Keith got me eliminated, so I intend to return the favor.

**Riley-**I mean, if I don't do anything, then they're sure to vote me off soon.

**Rusty-**I am going to screw up everything there. No one will be safe from Rusty! Heh, heh, heh.

**Elijah-**I still want to be friends with Calvin and Jojo. I think we can all get along.

**Pamela-**And you know what, if anybody ticks me off, I can't be held responsible for my actions.

**Riley-**(asleep)

**Rusty-**(Aurelius crawls out of his jacket) Hey, you've been there the whole time? We make a good team, you and I. Now let's take on the island together!

* * *

(Battling Beaches Camp)

Tension was still high at the camp. Keith had opted to keep sleeping in trees, and Misha as well decided that she'd rather sleep out in the forest. The others had finally come to a compromise about the shelter. There was a line drawn down the middle. Calvin, Jojo, and Matilda were on one end, and Chelsea, Ilona, and Desdemona were on the other end. They were still staring icily at each other.

"Campers, I've got a surprise for you!" Chris exclaimed through his megaphone.

His helicopter landed and he let out the four returning campers.

"Allow me to reintroduce," Chris exclaimed, "Pamela…"

Pamela glared at everyone in the shelter.

"Elijah…"

Elijah waved at his friends and Desdemona, Chelsea continued to glare.

"Rusty…"

Everyone glared at him.

"And Riley!"

Chris just tossed the sleeping boy into the sand.

"Have fun," he exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**Great, as if the drama wasn't bad enough, Chris just had to throw in four more kids. Things are about to get rough.

_Author's Note: And with that, we finish Act 2 and begin Act 3. I did flip-flop a bit on who should return at first, but I've had this decision made for a while. I think the main change is that I originally wanted to have Esme return, but decided that I could do more with the other four. Thanks to all of you who guessed on the poll, and I'll be sure to put a new poll up soon so look out for that._


	19. Meet Misha

_Author's__ Note: Another poll is up, vote for your favorite villain. Right now Keith is in the lead, and I'm not too surprised there. But if you haven't voted yet, feel free to and let me know your thoughts._

"Previously on Total Drama Stranded," Chris began as usual, "the teams were finally merged, and we brought back four former losers. Ilona wanted to have the teams all get along…yeah, right, no way that's happening! Misha finally ditched the sweet girl persona, and Keith's decided that he might have to deal with her soon. Chelsea and Matilda are at each other's throats, due to Chelsea thinking that Matilda stole Jojo from her. I'm following Jojo's lead and staying out of this one. With four people coming back, things won't be slowing down. Will Pamela take down her enemies? Will Rusty succeed at being a villain? Will Elijah prove that he's not such a jerk anymore? And will Riley…do his usual, Riley thing? Find out right now on Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Battling Beaches Camp)

The shelter was filled with eight campers. On one side, Matilda was snuggling with Jojo, while Calvin lay next to them. On the other side, Desdemona and Elijah slept together. Chelsea, Ilona, and Riley were all sleeping somewhere in the middle. The other four were either sleeping on their own, or already up. Rusty was currently strolling along the beach, muttering to himself. Eventually he noticed Pamela was also pacing in the sand.

"Well, well, look who it is," he remarked. "Pamela…my old flame, if you will."

"Actually, I don't think I will," Pamela replied dryly.

"Well, don't expect me to try to save you this time," Rusty said. "You betrayed me, and now I'm going to watch as you get yourself eliminated."

"Really? Because you seem to be the expert on that," Pamela replied. "What did you have in mind? Destroying their shelter? Stealing their food? I'm afraid throwing challenges isn't going to cut it anymore."

"I have an ingenious, master plan which I've been working on," Rusty boasted.

"Right, the whole idol thing," Pamela replied.

"That's not it," Rusty said. "But if you do happen to find one, would you mind giving it to me?"

"Well, it sounds like you haven't changed a bit," Pamela said. "I'm looking forward to watching you crash and burn."

"That's where you're wrong, one very important thing has changed," Rusty declared. "Now…I have a raccoon!"

At his signal, Aurelius scampered over to his feet.

"Great, maybe he could come up with some better strategies for you," Pamela remarked. "Because I can guarantee that whatever he thinks up will be vastly superior to anything you could plan."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**If Rusty wants to screw himself over again, fine, who am I to stop him?

**Rusty-**(Aurelius sitting on his lap gives a series of squeaks) Aurelius says, 'She's got one thing right, this guy couldn't strategize if his life depended on—' Hey you take that back!

* * *

The other campers were gradually all getting up now. It was clear that there was still some anger going on between all of them.

"Alright, guys, I know there's been tough times going on for some of us," Ilona said trying to keep everyone calm. "But is it too much to ask that you just keep your angry thoughts to yourselves."

"Yes," Chelsea said.

"Yes," Calvin added.

"Double yes," Matilda exclaimed.

"Yes infinite," Desdemona exclaimed.

"Yes infinite plus one!" Riley cheered triumphantly. "Wait, what are we saying yes to? I missed that."

Ilona just placed her forehead in her hands and sighed. The campers quickly split off into groups and distanced themselves. Elijah stuck with Desdemona.

"So tell me, am I still the number one man in your life?" he asked. "No one's taken my place?"

"No one could ever replace you," Desdemona said as sweetly as possible. "But if you really want to prove yourself to me, I'd really appreciate it if you helped me deal with Chelsea."

"Chelsea, eh?" Elijah asked. "What's going on with her?"

"Oh, she's just upset because I took out Garfield," Desdemona scoffed. "And it was totally for strategic reasons, I swear, nothing personal. But she's out to get me now."

"Well, you can always count on me," Elijah assured her. "I'm sure you and Chelsea can work something out, though."

Desdemona just stared blankly at him for a second.

"Well…that was oddly unaggressive of you," Desdemona said.

"I'm through with any sort of aggression," Elijah declared. "I've seen what happens when things go too far and from now on, I'm going to do my best to be a better person."

"Well, that's…great, just great," Desdemona muttered.

"Hey, Elijah, over here," Calvin called as he and Jojo approached the boy.

"What is it?" Elijah asked.

"We'd like to talk to you," Calvin said.

Elijah and Desdemona moved to join them, but Jojo stopped Desdemona.

"Sorry, not you," he said.

"Fine, have your 'guy time,'" Desdemona scoffed. "I'll be here if you're looking for me, though."

As Calvin pulled Elijah away from her, he said, "We're really glad that you managed to come back. Our alliance could really use another member."

"Awesome," Elijah said. "And I can get Desdemona in, that'll strength our—"

"No," Calvin said. "She's probably the biggest weirdo loser on the island right now. There's no way she's joining my alliance."

"Well…the thing is…she's kinda my friend…and a girl…which sorta makes her my…girlfriend," Elijah explained.

"Um, there are plenty other girls on the island," Calvin said. "Much more suitable girls for you."

"Yeah, just keep your hands off of Matilda," Jojo said. "She's my girl now."

"Right, that," Calvin said with a hint of disapproval.

"I'm sorry guys," Elijah said. "If this is still going on, then I can't be a part of your alliance."

Calvin glared at Elijah with rage.

"You've changed," he said icily.

"Yes, I have," Elijah said as he turned away. "Thanks for noticing."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I don't know what's come over my only ally, but now is not the time to go soft. Looks like I'll be doing all the heavy lifting in this alliance.

**Elijah-**The thing about bullying is that it's hard to realize that you're doing it, until it's too late. I thought it was all fun and games, but obviously people like Briony didn't. Well, I'm not letting that happen again.

**Calvin-**Fine, I don't need Elijah with me. I can hold onto Matilda and Keith for a little while longer, before I toss them aside.

* * *

As the campers went through their morning on the beach, Misha eventually emerged from the forest. She no longer wore her dress and was in a unitard now. Her face had a much stonier look to it. It didn't take long for everyone to take note of Misha arriving.

"Oh…uh, Misha, that's a nice outfit," Chelsea remarked.

"Shut the hell up!" Misha snapped. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to say that. I don't give a f**k about your stupid fashion or any of that crap!"

"Um…are you feeling already, Misha?" Chelsea asked confused.

"After putting up with you for so long, I feel great to stop pretending I like you!" Misha exclaimed. "And as soon as I win immunity, you are outta here!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**So, it seems that Misha isn't actually as nice as she acted. That's a real downer.

**Matilda-**Like, that was so out of the blue, you know. There, like, weren't any signs or anything.

**Misha-**Ha, finally I can tell that what I really think. And there's nothing they can do about it, because there's no way I'm losing immunity.

* * *

Everyone had backed away from Misha. Anyone who did end up close to her, received a vicious glare and immediately backed up. Keith was next to arrive.

"Good morning, everyone," he greeted.

He got back a series of, 'hello's and other greetings.

"Have you all met the brand new Misha?" he asked. "Isn't she just a blast?"

"Shut it!" Misha snapped.

"Look at that, she's so angry," Keith exclaimed. "So different from the sweet little girl she used to be."

"I was never a sweet little girl!" Misha shouted. "Don't you idiots get it? This is who I am, and you were just too dense to ever realize it!"

"Such a shame, really," Keith sighed as he moved away from her.

No too much later, Chris arrived in his helicopter.

"Hello, Beaches!" he greeted as he hopped out. "Are you ready for your first merged challenge?"

"No television set today?" Desdemona asked.

"Nope, with you all here, I can get a nice personal view of all of you," Chris exclaimed. "Now, before we go anywhere, you should all put these on."

He tossed out a bundle of mining helmets.

"We're going mining?" Calvin asked.

"Sort of," Chris replied. "Follow me and I'll explain."

Chris took the campers around to a different side of the mountain. Soon he presented to them an old entrance into a mine.

"It's already been mined up long ago," Chris said. "But there are still plenty of shafts to explore, and even some of the equipment has been left behind. You will all be traveling through this mine trying to find your way to the top. The first person to do that is going to win immunity."

"That is so going to be me!" Jojo cheered.

"Don't bet on it," Misha scoffed. "You haven't seen me at my fullest. You won't stand a chance."

"Ha, are you seriously challenging me?" Jojo laughed. "I don't think you know who you're dealing with."

"I know exactly who you are," Misha replied. "You are a boy with no brain, yet an ego twice the size of Canada. You think that you can force your way through any challenge with a little brute force. You have absolutely no style, no technique, no grace; but I've got all that, and a brain. So like I said, you don't stand a chance."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**I don't know what she's talking about. 'Grace'? How is that going to help in a challenge? The only thing that matters is hardcore strength, and that's what I'm going to beat her with.

**Keith-**Ah, Misha, her confidence is destroying her all too easily. I'd like to see these so called skills of hers, and I'm prepared to be disappointed.

**Elijah-**Misha is pretty hot when she's angry…(slaps himself) But I'm with Desdemona right now so I shouldn't be thinking that.

* * *

"Now, there are many different paths travelling through this mine," Chris continued. "So, you're going to want some of these maps. With these directions you'll be able to plan out your route, and make sure you don't get lost in the dark. I hope none of you are claustrophobic."

Chris then began tossing rolled up maps to each of the campers. As he tossed one to Misha, Rusty reached out and grabbed it from her.

"Ha, ha, I got you map, shorty!" he teased. "And there's nothing you can do about it."

"Oh yes there is," Misha said maliciously. "I suggest you hand it over before you become brutally wounded."

"Okay," Rusty said mischievously. "Catch!"

He tossed the map over Misha's head. It landed on the ground where Aurelius scurried over to it and picked it up.

"Get back here, you rat!" Misha exclaimed.

Aurelius scampered off into the trees.

"Don't worry, I'll catch him," Keith offered.

"Did I ask for your help?!" Misha snapped. "I can handle this."

She chased after the raccoon, and Keith followed her. Rusty was just cackling to himself.

"You know, this is exactly the reason you were eliminated," Chelsea pointed out.

"Ah, but there's also a reason I came back," Rusty countered. "And that's simply the fact that I'm awesome."

Chelsea just rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, Misha was trampling over vegetation as she tried to catch Aurelius.

"When I get a hold of you I'm going to pluck your fur right off!" she threatened.

Keith dropped down from the tree and landed on top of Aurelius.

"Here you are," he said as he handed Misha her map.

Misha just gave him an icy glare as she swiped it out of his hands. She then shoved him aside before returning to the crowd. Keith sighed and let go of a disgruntled Aurelius.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**Ah, it feels so good to be bad.

**Chelsea-**Rusty was seriously one of the worst members of my old team. Why did he have to come back? Why couldn't it have been Garfield?

* * *

"Okay, Beaches, are we ready to begin this challenge?" Chris asked. "Get set, go!"

Together the twelve campers walked into the dark shaft. It got dark very soon, but luckily their helmets lit up and spread some light over the area.

"Out of my way," Misha ordered as she shoved her way to the front of the crowd.

"Hey, you can't treat me like that," Calvin sneered as he grabbed her shoulder.

"Hands off!" Misha snapped as she flipped Calvin over her back and into a wall.

"Oh, you're going to regret that," Jojo said as he advanced on her.

"You'll have to catch me first," Misha said as she sped up.

Jojo made to chase after her, but Calvin stopped him.

"Let her go," he said. "We should stick together for now. We'll get her later."

It didn't take long for the group to come to the first break in the paths.

"Left or right?" Jojo asked.

"Let's take right," Calvin suggested. "They both end up in the same direction."

"Well, I'll go left then," Ilona said. "I'd rather not have to put up with their attitudes."

"Me too," Chelsea said. "I'd rather not look at Matilda with her so-called 'boyfriend.'"

"Well, like, that's good," Matilda retorted. "Because, like, I'm done looking at you, you know."

"I'm with you," Rusty said as he stepped on the same side as Matilda. "And I'll get to the end way before Miss Cheerleader."

Chelsea stuck her tongue out at Rusty. Eventually everyone had split in two. Keith and Pamela went to the right, while Desdemona, Elijah, and Riley all went to the left. However, the groups continued to split up into intertwining routes. Chelsea and Ilona stuck together, as did Elijah and Desdemona. Calvin, Jojo, and Matilda all stayed in their group, while everyone else broke off. Misha was still ahead of everyone, and Riley soon fell behind.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**I wasn't kidding around about my abilities. I've had a lifetime of harsh gymnastic training. And there's a little martial arts thrown in there too.

**Pamela-**I'm just hoping to screw things up for people. Keith would be best, but I wouldn't mind running into Calvin or that cheerleading bimbo.

**Desdemona-**It's nice to see that Elijah is staying loyal to me. I could really make use of someone like him.

**Riley-**These tunnels seems so long and this map is confusing. Maybe I'll just sit down for a bit as I try to figure it out. My motto has always been slow and steady wins the race.

* * *

(Calvin, Matilda, and Jojo)

The group had entered a much rockier part of the mine. The tunnels were no long straightforward, and they had to climb over rough rocks. Jojo was having no trouble and Calvin was following behind him. Matilda, however, was struggling.

"Don't worry, I'm coming," she called. "These rocks are just, like, so slippery, you know."

Calvin rolled his eyes to himself, then turned to Jojo.

"Look, we don't need her slowing us down," he whispered.

"What?" Jojo scoffed. "You want us to just leave her behind?"

"Come on," Calvin said. "Don't you want to win? You can do that, but not if Matilda's holding you back."

"Sorry, but you gotta respect my girl," Jojo said. "And besides, I'm strong enough that I can win, and keep my girlfriend with me."

"That doesn't even make sense," Calvin grumbled.

Eventually Jojo and Calvin had pulled themselves into another flat path.

"According to the map, it continues you this for a little while," Calvin said. "Then we come to some sort of…bridge, thing."

Matilda was still stumbling over the rocks. She was determined, but with every step she took, she tumbled down two more.

"Hey, I hear someone coming," Jojo said as he turned to face the opposite end of the tunnel.

Soon Rusty appeared in the light.

"Ah, hello gentlemen," he greeted. "You just so happen to be in luck. Because, as fate would have it, I am looking for an alliance, and it looks like you're the fortunate group to earn that honor."

"Um…okay," Jojo said.

"No need to thank me," Rusty said. "Just vote out whoever I tell you and we'll get along fine."

"You know what, I like the sound of this," Calvin said. "Welcome to the alliance, Rusty."

"No, welcome to _my _alliance," Rusty corrected.

"Uh, I said 'the' not 'my,'" Calvin pointed out.

"Yes…that came out better in my head," Rusty admitted.

"I made it!" Matilda cheered as she finally reached the top.

"You rock!" Jojo congratulated.

Calvin just rolled his eyes again, this time at Rusty. Rusty returned the gesture.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Having Rusty around is just what I need. He's a fallback, so I can get rid of Matilda without any problems. And he seems like the type of guy who belongs in my circle.

**Rusty-**I can't wait to screw over these guys. Oh, I'm getting tingles just thinking about it.

**Jojo-**Matilda may not be an athletic superstar like me. But hey, she's hot and super sweet, so I'm not complaining.

**Matilda-**I wonder if I could, like, bring fashion into mining, you know. I mean, the lack of light would totally be, like, a downer…Ooh, I know, this calls for neon effects!

* * *

(Pamela)

Pamela found herself alone as she travelled through the mines. She wandered through the tunnels and occasionally glanced at the map.

"Let's see, I just need to keep heading through here," she muttered to herself. "Now, what does this line mean?"

She soon got her answer. The rocky ground soon turned to shaky wood. She had to cross a series of wobbly platforms that connected the paths over a large gap.

"Hm, it's a risk," she mused as she lightly kicked the fragile wood. "But I'm not turning back now."

Carefully she walked along the platforms. With each step it felt like the wood might snap, yet it stayed strong. About halfway across, she heard someone else approaching. She didn't see anyone around her, until she looked up and realized that there were platforms.

"Well, well, Pamela, look at that," Keith exclaimed as he walked gracefully over the higher platforms.

"You," Pamela hissed.

"That's right, me," Keith replied. "You sound angry. Are you still mad about the whole elimination thing?"

"What do you think?!" Pamela exclaimed as she tried to swipe at him.

This didn't work out for her, though, as the sudden movement rocked the platform and nearly caused it to collapse.

"Uh, yeah, that's not a good idea," Keith remarked. "Maybe you should try not getting mad. You know, the whole forgive and forget belief. I mean, you're back so no harm done, right?"

"Oh no, maybe everyone else is falling for your nice guy act, but not me," Pamela said. "You just want to get my guard down so you can get rid of me again."

"Act? You mean, you don't think I'm nice," Keith said, feigning like he had taken offense.

"I am going to bring you down," Pamela declared. "Starting with this!"

She grabbed a rock and tossed it up at him. Keith simply leaned to the side and let the rock soar over him.

"Oh, nice shot," he exclaimed. "Good thing it didn't hit me, though."

"I've got more than that," Pamela exclaimed as she tossed whatever else she could grab.

Keith just continued to dodge, without ever losing his balance.

"Well, you've gotten too hostile for me, so I guess I'll go," Keith said as he sped up. "But I'm sure the others would love to hear about how much of a rotten person I am. And when I tell them that you started throwing rocks at me for no reason, well, why wouldn't they believe you?"

"Get back here, I'm not done with you!" Pamela snapped. "Erg!"

She stamped her foot in frustration which ended up breaking through the wood.

"Ow," Pamela winced as she pulled herself out of the small hole.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I hate him so much!

* * *

(Riley)

Riley was slowing meandering through the tunnels as he tried to make sense of his map. He turned it from side to side, but it didn't come any clearer to him.

"Hm…am I here, or here?" he muttered. "Why does it have to be so confusing? And long? Why couldn't we have a short race that had more rest stops in between?"

Eventually his aimless wandering got him to a track. He followed the track until it took him to an old, rusty mine cart.

"Alright, I can take a nap in here," he exclaimed as he crawled into the cart. "Ah , this is comfy."

* * *

(Chelsea and Ilona)

The two girls were climbing up a combination of manmade platforms and natural rock. It seemed like it might have once been an entire wooden structure, but time had taken away many of the platforms. Ilona had no trouble climbing up the rough rock surface though, and Chelsea also wasn't doing too badly at keeping up.

"Oh, that Matilda makes me so mad," Chelsea grumbled. "Don't you just hate her?"

"Would you mind dropping the subject for now?" Ilona asked. "I don't think it's healthy to dwell on things too much."

"Okay, I'll try," Chelsea said.

However, not a minute later she exclaimed, "But when we go to elimination, you would vote her off with me, right?"

"I'll vote for whoever feels right," Ilona said.

"Great, that's a yes, then," Chelsea exclaimed.

Ilona just sighed as she continued to climb. The platforms became more frequent as they climbed higher, and soon they had safely reached a wooden surface.

"Look, you can see a whole track down there," Chelsea exclaimed.

"I wonder what this lever does," Ilona mused as she tested a stiff, old lever.

Suddenly a mine cart began rolling along a downward track.

"Whoa," Chelsea exclaimed. "Good thing someone wasn't in that. It looks dangerous."

"Agreed," Ilona said. "Now, let's keep moving, this platform should continue a little further."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I really want Matilda gone, but she's not the only one. I'm also pretty ticked off that Misha lied to all of us, and I simply can't stand Rusty. I'm trying to be nice, really, but with such horrible people, it can be hard.

**Ilona-**Chelsea needs to calm down. She won't be able to think straight if she lets this consume her, and that could be fatal to her game.

* * *

(Desdemona and Elijah)

The duo was walking at a leisurely pace through a tunnel.

"So, you've just left Calvin and his group?" Desdemona asked.

"It was the only choice I could see," Elijah said with a shrug. "They didn't want you to join, and I couldn't let a glamorous lady like you end up voted out."

"All that for little old me?" Desdemona giggled. "You're too sweet."

"Well, I've always realized that Calvin takes things a little too extremely," Elijah explained. "I mean, he's hurt people with the way he treats them. I just can't be a part of that."

"Wow, I'm so lucky to have a guy like you around," Desdemona cooed.

"So, what's in my future?" Elijah asked.

"Oh, right, that," Desdemona said. "Let's see, I've gotten visions of great achievements."

"Do you think I could win?" Elijah asked.

"It's very well possible," Desdemona said.

"I'd be sure to share my money with you," Elijah continued. "Since, you know, you're not going to be winning. How does a trip to Disneyland sound? No, England? No, Australia?"

"I'm sure anywhere would be great with you," Desdemona replied.

The two then started to hear a low rumbling.

"Oh no, it's a cave-in!" Elijah cried. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

He stood over Desdemona with his chest puffed out. However, while the rumbling increased, nothing happened.

"That doesn't sound like a cave-in," Desdemona remarked. "It sounds kind of like wheels rolling."

In truth, it was Riley in a mine cart rolling over top of the tunnel. As it moved on, the rumbling decreased.

"Hm…that was strange," Elijah remarked.

"Oh well, let's keep moving," Desdemona said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**When you've got a good girl, you've got to be willing to do anything to prove your love. That way she'll reward you later, heh. And if careful thought, I've decided that I should take her someplace hot, that way I can see her in a bikini.

**Desdemona-**Wow, Elijah is really taking this 'knight in shining armor' thing seriously. Well, better for me; but I plan on winning the grand prize. I might take him on a trip to Niagara Falls or something if I'm feeling generous.

* * *

(Calvin, Matilda, Jojo, and Rusty)

The four continued to travel through a smooth path. Calvin and Rusty stuck together at the front, while Jojo had decided to slow down so he could walk with Matilda.

"So anyways, as I was saying, your outfit is, like, really hot as it is," Matilda said to Jojo. "That jacket just has, like, a certain chic to it. Now, if you wanted to, like, increase your hotness but 15%, I suggest, like, sunglasses, you know."

"I see," Jojo said with interest. "Say, what about tattoos? Are they hot?"

"Well, that's a bit of a mixed deal, you know," Matilda explained. "The way I see it, like, a detail like that is usually, like, waaaayyy too small to actually be noticed, and therefore have any, like, effect on your hotness, you know. Now, there is a way to, like, fix this, and that's if you get one those, like, super big tattoos, you know. The problem with them, though, is that, like, by that point, they've gotten so giagnormous, that it's not even hot anymore, right."

"Wow, you really know what you're talking about," Jojo exclaimed.

"Well, I try," Matilda replied.

Up at the front, Rusty and Calvin were having their own conversation.

"I swear, she is so annoying," Calvin grumbled. "I seriously don't know how Jojo puts up with her."

"So, it's a backstabbing we're talking about, eh?" Rusty remarked. "Now that's something I can get behind."

"I mean, everything with her is fashion this or hot that," Calvin continued to rant. "I mean, I'm all for that kind of stuff, but not when it's all I hear twenty-four/seven. And let's not even talk about her need to say, 'like' every two words."

"Don't worry, I have a master plan going on here," Rusty said. "And I think I can work in a deal with you."

"Good to hear that I can trust you," Calvin said.

"That's what you think," Rusty cackled to himself.

"What was that?" Calvin asked.

"Oh I wasn't saying anything of relevance," Rusty replied.

The group eventually came to another climb. As usual, Matilda was having difficulty.

"Do you need a hand?" Jojo asked.

"No, no, I want to prove, like, I can do this," Matilda declared.

Jojo shrugged and continued to climb. Once they reached the top, the boys found themselves looking over a large drop with a rickety platform leading across.

"Well, this looks safe," Calvin said sarcastically.

"Maybe you guys should go first," Rusty said. "And let me know if it's safe."

"Oh, like I owe you any favors," Jojo scoffed.

"Nah, it's okay if you're scared," Rusty replied.

"Scared?! I'll show you," Jojo declared as he began to walk across.

Calvin took a breath before following after Jojo.

"I think it's okay," Calvin remarked after walking halfway across the platform.

"Ta-ta, boys!" Rusty laughed as he kicked at the wood

The boys panicked as the platforms rocked violently. Calvin quickly turned to run back the way he came, but he wasn't fast enough. The wood all collapsed and both Jojo and Calvin went tumbling down.

"Heh, heh, heh, I'm so evil!" Rusty laughed. "I love it!"

Luckily for Jojo and Calvin, the drop wasn't as far as the darkness made it seem. Both boys landed painfully in the dirt ground beneath them.

"Oh, that hurt," Jojo groaned as he sat up.

"At least we finally lost Matilda," Calvin remarked.

"What was that?" Jojo asked.

"Oh, nothing of relevance," Calvin borrowed Rusty's line.

At the time, Matilda had just made her way up the climb and realized what had happened.

"Ha, I showed them," Rusty cackled.

"You totally awful, horrible, person!" Matilda cried.

"Oh, forgot about her," Rusty sighed.

"You're going to, like, totally pay for that," Matilda exclaimed as she charged at Rusty while slapping the air.

Rusty held her back just by outstretching his palm.

"Okay, time for you to go," Rusty remarked as he shoved her down the hole.

Once she was gone, Rusty resumed his victory stance.

"If only Aurelius had seen that, then he'd see who the genius is," he remarked. "Now…how am I going to get across?"

He realized that he had just destroyed the only path. Meanwhile, Matilda had rolled down the hole and landed next to Calvin.

"Hey, guys, miss me?" she exclaimed.

"You have no idea," Calvin remarked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**Okay, maybe my plan had a few kinks, but don't tell anyone.

**Calvin-**Well, there goes my alliance with Rusty. Next time I'll have to ally with someone a little less crazy and delusional.

* * *

(Outside)

Chris stood by the exterior of the mountain.

"Who will come out on top?" he asked. "It's definitely going to be a tight battle."

Chris was cut off when he heard a low rumbling, coming from one of the entrances to the mine.

"What is that?" he muttered as he went over to investigate.

A mine cart came to a gradual stop as it rolled out of the mine. Inside was a sleeping Riley, who seemed to be quite comfortable inside.

"Hey, wake up!" Chris snapped.

"Huh, is the challenge over?" Riley asked as he got out.

"No, but you pretty much blew any chance of winning," Chris said.

"Meh, it's not like I thought I had a chance anyway," Riley shrugged. "Say, do you have any food? Also, a pillow would be really nice to go with this cart."

Chris just grumbled as he kicked the cart over and knocked Riley into the ground.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**I don't see why I should even try to compete. When I'm up against athletes like Jojo and Misha, I don't have a chance anyways.

**Chris-**Yeah, maybe I probably should have brought Stanley back instead. Riley just sleeps right through all the drama.

* * *

(Pamela)

Pamela had since split off from Keith. The boy had disappeared and she had ended up going in a different direction. She continued to move from platform to platform as she travelled upwards.

"Let's see, should I try to be nicer?" she mused to herself. "Well, not to Keith, he's a manipulative bastard. And not Ilona, either, she's way too condescending."

She leapt over a small gap where the platforms had fallen apart.

"Chelsea and Matilda are both self-righteous hypocrites," she continued. "Misha is just a resentful liar…and I'm starting to think that Desdemona might be the same."

She pulled herself up to a platform that was almost out of reach.

"Calvin and Jojo are brain-dead bullies," she continued to list. "Rusty would be the same, yet he never actually has succeeded in bullying anyone."

She had arrived at a large ladder. She sighed as she started to climb, it was very unstable and felt like it would tumble over with the slightest breeze.

"Riley is a lazy whiner and Elijah is simply putting on an act to get girls to like him," Pamela concluded. "Okay, I tried, there is no one worth being nice to."

With that she kicked over the ladder which shattered as soon as it hit the ground.

"Heh, let's see them try to follow me now," she laughed.

* * *

(Chelsea and Ilona)

The two continued along the platform without any issues.

"So, if things are done between you and Matilda, then maybe you should find some new friends," Ilona suggested to Chelsea. "You seem so much nicer when you're with friends, than enemies."

"That's true," Chelsea remarked. "Maybe you could be my new BFF!"

"Oh…I don't know about that," Ilona said uneasily. "I'm not exactly trained in…uh, BFF etiquette."

"Ha, don't be silly," Chelsea laughed. "There's no rules. All you have to do is be your nice self."

"Well…if you say so," Ilona replied. "But seriously, I'm sure there are other people you'd get along with. Like…uh, Keith seems pretty nice."

"Hm, maybe," Chelsea said with a shrug.

The two then heard a clatter coming from below them. They looked down to see that two people were climbing a ladder.

"Oh good, maybe we can work together with them," Chelsea exclaimed.

Elijah reached the top and was pulled up by Chelsea, then she came eye to eye with Desdemona.

"Oh, it's you," she sneered. "I don't want anything to do with you black-hearted witchcraft."

"Okay, someone's taking crazy to a new level," Desdemona remarked dryly as she climbed up.

"Oh, don't turn me into the bad guy here," Chelsea scoffed. "I'm not the one who used a slow blow to take out a perfect guy."

"Hey, I'm no more wrong than you are," Desdemona said defensively.

"Don't think so," Chelsea snorted.

"Uh, ladies," Elijah interrupted. "Maybe we should—"

"I'm not talking to you either, pervert," Chelsea added.

"Just leave them be," Ilona said as she pulled him aside. "They can work out their differences for now. How about you and I work on how we're going to get over this wall."

"That's weird, it looks like the something broke here," Elijah pointed out.

"Probably just poor planning on Chris's part," Ilona sighed. "Now, I think we can do this though. I might be able to scale the wall, and stick one of these stakes in the crevice so the others can climb. I just need you to throw the stakes up to me as I climb."

"Sure, no problemo," Elijah replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**I never thought that I'd be willingly working with someone like Elijah, yet he's proven to actually be one of the saner contestants left.

* * *

(Matilda, Calvin, and Jojo)

The three had regained themselves and had inspected their new scenario. The hole wasn't too deep, but it would be difficult to climb up at such an angle.

"I can't believe that Rusty guy," Calvin grumbled. "I mean, he had the perfect chance to join the majority. And yet he still goes and blows it."

"Yeah, when I get my hands on him I am going to twist him backwards," Jojo declared while making a strangling motion with his hands.

"That sounds painful," Matilda remarked.

"Well, that's what he gets for messing with my girl," Jojo declared.

"Oh, so that makes it sweet," Matilda exclaimed.

Calvin was making strangling motions of himself, but he quickly stopped when Matilda turned around.

"I bet we could make it to that ledge," Jojo said as he looked up at the wall. "I mean, how hard could it be?"

"Might as well give it a shot," Calvin replied.

The side of the wall was smoother than what had they had climbed before, but it still had some rocks sticking out that they could grab onto.

"Just about there," Jojo exclaimed.

Calvin was reaching up to a nearby hold. However, this rock turned out to be loose and fell out when he grabbed it. This caused him to lose his balance and tumbled right back down to the bottom. This had triggered a small shower of rocks to tumble down after him, though. As a result, his arm was buried under a pile of heavy stone. Jojo quickly jumped down to help him; Matilda was already at the bottom, having made minimal progress.

"Don't worry, I'll get that off of you," Jojo said as he tried to lift the rocks.

The rocks were heavier than they looked, though, and despite all of Jojo's might he couldn't move them.

"Damn, that's heavy," he remarked.

"Well, we have to do something," Calvin grumbled.

"Ooh, ooh, idea," Matilda exclaimed while waving her hand back and forth. "Why don't we, like, leave Calvin behind and come back for him after we, like, win the challenge?"

"It's so simple, it's perfect," Jojo exclaimed. "Sorry, Calvin. But don't worry, we'll come back for you."

"I don't like this idea," Calvin remarked.

Jojo wasn't listening though, he was too busy trying to scale the wall again. He made it easily, and with his help, Matilda also made it.

"Now, let's win this!" Jojo cheered.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**She's nice, beautiful, _and_ smart, what more could a guy ask for?

**Calvin-**No, no, no, this is all wrong!

* * *

Rusty had taken on a new strategy to get across the gap. He was trying to swing across the bottom of a higher platform like monkey bars. This plan also had its flaws though, and he soon found himself stuck halfway over the hole with no easy holds to grab onto.

"Hey Rusty," Jojo said as he climbed up on the other side. "I'd kick your ass, but right now I've got a challenge to win, so we'll have to do it another time."

Matilda just gave him a playful wave before following after Jojo.

"Wait, come back!" Rusty cried. "I didn't mean all that evil stuff…it was just a joke. Ha, ha, ha funny, right?"

Rusty continued to hang in place, but soon he heard a creaking sound.

"Uh-oh," he remarked.

The board he was currently holding onto snapped in half. He was about to come crashing down before someone grabbed his wrist.

"Whoa, careful," Keith exclaimed as he helped him grabbed onto another board. "That looks like it would have been painful."

"Thank you!" Rusty exclaimed. "Now if you could just help me up…"

But Keith had already turned to keep running along the platform, leaving Rusty behind.

"Swell," Rusty groaned.

* * *

(Misha)

Misha moved skillfully as she leapt between platforms and rocks. She had a fierce speed and always landed on her mark. She stopped briefly to look behind her.

"Ha, no one in sight," she cackled. "There's no way I'm not winning this."

She swung herself upwards and landed on a smooth, plateau against the side of the rock. She pulled out her map and took at glance at her position.

"Let's see, I should be right about here," she deduced. "Which means that the exit is right up here. Ha, I got this!"

She broke into a sprint as she followed her path straight to the exit.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Misha-**This should be a good lesson to the others. And that lesson is, they don't have a chance against me.

* * *

(Chelsea, Ilona, Elijah, and Desdemona)

Ilona strained herself as she pulled herself up the wall.

"Okay, right here should do!" she called to Elijah.

Elijah tossed up a stick which she caught. She then dug into a crevice in the wall.

"There," she exclaimed.

She then pulled herself up to the top.

"Okay, the rest of you should be able to climb up," Ilona called.

"Uh, girls?" Elijah called.

"All I'm saying is to see things through my point of view," Desdemona argued with Chelsea.

"Why would I want to see things as a selfish, conniving witch?" Chelsea retorted. "What you need to do is accept that you are pure evil."

Desdemona growled and looked like she was ready to punch Chelsea right over the edge.

"Ladies!" Elijah shouted. "While you've been 'working out your differences,' Ilona has actually been working so that we can all make it to the end. Do you think you could stop talking for five minutes?!"

Chelsea and Desdemona both huffed as they turned away from each other. However, they remained silent as they climbed up the stakes that Ilona had planted for them. One after another, the three of them each arrived at the top of the wall. They quickly sat down and collected their breath.

"Okay, time to win this!" Chelsea exclaimed. "Come on, let's go, Ilona!"

Chelsea got up and grabbed Ilona's wrist. Then she sprinted down the tunnel and away from Desdemona and Elijah.

"Oh no you don't," Desdemona exclaimed. "Elijah, chase after them…I'd do it myself, but, you know, the dress."

Elijah sighed before dashing after the two girls. Desdemona followed behind at a slower jog. Ilona had broken into a run of her own and had soon taken the lead. Eventually she saw a figure in the distance. Pamela was walking at her own pace ahead of them. She turned around to see three people coming charging right at her.

"Aw, crap," she remarked as she too started to run.

As the four of them raced, Desdemona looked at her map.

"You can do this, Elijah!" she cheered. "The exit is just ahead."

They weren't the only ones in this race, though. Up above, Keith was still travelling by the platforms. He hopped from place to place as he closed in on the same direction. Misha meanwhile was starting to see light pour out over the ground. She increased her speed as she approached the end of the mine.

"I can do this, I can do this," Elijah wheezed to himself as he desperately tried to catch up with the other girls.

It was no good though. Ilona had a strong lead, and Chelsea and Pamela were both right on her tail. They saw the light and realized that the exit was near.

"I am not letting you win this!" Pamela exclaimed as she tried to pass Ilona.

Chelsea saw this and also increased her pace.

"Move it or lose it!" A voice cheered from another tunnel. "Football star coming through!"

Matilda was the one cheering, she was currently riding on Jojo's shoulders. The jock was bolting in from another tunnel. He knocked aside everyone in his way as he headed straight for the opening in the wall. Misha meanwhile was sprinting straight towards the opening. Misha made it outside first, while Jojo followed, but out of a different exit.

"I did it!" Misha announced.

"You did it!" Matilda said to Jojo.

"We have our winner!" Chris announced. "Jojo, you managed to arrive at the finish line first, with Matilda taking a close second."

Chelsea, Pamela, Ilona, Elijah, Keith, and Desdemona all exited one after another.

"Sorry, guys, you were all too slow," Chris said.

Misha, meanwhile, had come to the realization that something was off. Her first hint was the fact that instead of leading anywhere, the exit just took her to a narrow ledge off the side of the mountain. In fact, she was on the complete opposite side of the mountain, and not even at the top.

"Where the f**k am I?" she demanded as she glared at her map.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**I told you, there's no way I'm not winning these challenges.

**Matilda-**I'm so lucky to have such a totally amazing boyfriend.

**Misha-**What is wrong with this map?! I followed the directions perfectly.

* * *

(Later)

The twelve teens had returned to the ground. Calvin had been rescued, as had Rusty. Misha also had eventually been found.

"Aha, my plan worked!" Rusty announced smugly.

"What plan?" Ilona asked.

"Why, my plan to sabotage Misha," Rusty laughed. "I actually switched her map with a sabotaged one back at the start of the challenge, when I had Aurelius run off with it. Pure genius, I know."

"What? I'll kill you!" Misha roared.

She had to be restrained by both Ilona and Jojo, and even that was barely holding her back.

"Well, campers, Jojo has won the first individual immunity," Chris declared. "That means that you can vote for anyone else. Misha, are you feeling threatened now that your secret is out?"

"Ha, are you kidding me?" Misha spat. "These morons aren't going to be voting me out. They're far too wrapped up in their stupid vendettas to send any votes my way."

"Well, I'll see you all at elimination," Chris said. "Bye for now."

As Chris left, many campers shot angry glances at each other.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**I feel like this could be an unpleasant night for elimination.

**Riley-**Hm, I wonder who I should vote for. Oh well, I'll just ask someone and copy their answer.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

"Battling Beaches, welcome to your first elimination since the merge," Chris greeted. "This time if you leave, there will be no island waiting for you. You will be sent to Playa Des Losers and you won't ever come back."

"Let's get this started," Calvin exclaimed.

"The first pinecone goes to our immunity winner, Jojo," Chris said.

Jojo caught it with a smug look.

"We've also got a pinecone for Pamela," Chris continued. "And Riley."

Pamela caught her pinecone, Riley's just bounced off of his sleeping head.

"Matilda."

"Elijah."

"Rusty."

"Ilona."

"Desdemona."

"Calvin."

"Keith."

This just left Chelsea and Misha. Misha had a face of steel determination on, while Chelsea had a composed look.

"Chelsea, Misha, you both have reasons to be afraid," Chris declared. "Misha, you came out to reveal that you're not as nice as you acted, and you're a challenge threat…well, you could be. But Chelsea, you've been making more enemies than friends lately."

Misha growled and clenched her teeth, Chelsea just shrugged.

"Well, the final pinecone of the night," Chris concluded, "goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Chelsea."

"What!?" Misha snapped. "This isn't over. I'll get all of you for this!"

"I'm afraid it is over, Misha," Chris said as he dragged her along the Dock of Shame. "You're done for good. There will be no chance to return. You're finished and you are never, ever coming back."

"Let me just say that I utterly detest every single one of you!" Misha spat. "You are nothing but a bunch of f**king idiots! And for all I care you can all go—Aaaaaah!"

"So long, Misha," Chris said as he pushed the button. "And for the rest of you, you can return to your beach camp."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Ah, Misha, looks like you weren't quite as smart as you said. While I'll let Rusty take the credit, this was entirely my plan. But hey, why get people targeting me when I can put it on an idiot like Rusty?

* * *

(Flashback)

The scene returns to the last episode when Keith and Misha had met.

"Are you asking for a fight?" Misha demanded.

"You could say that," Keith said, "but I'll leave you be for now."

As he left, he remarked to himself, "She has to go."

Next the scene turned to late night. Chris arrived in his helicopter, landing just outside the mine. The noise was enough to wake up Keith who went over to investigate. As Chris stepped out of a helicopter, and intern exited the mine.

"Okay, Mr. McClean, we've mapped out the entire mine," the intern said. "Shall we leave this box of maps with you?"

"Just put it on the ground," Chris said. "I want to personally inspect each one so I can fire you if I find the slightest mistake."

The intern just rolled his eyes and dropped the crate on the ground.

"But first, I've got to work on my dynamic stance," Chris remarked as he began posing in front of the mine.

Keith crept over to the crate and swiped one of the maps.

"Hm, this could be handy," he said as he pulled out a pencil and began making changes.

Once Chris had finished his display, he went over to read the maps.

"Hey, there's only eleven in here," he exclaimed. "Stupid incompetent, intern, now I have to photocopy a new one."

He took the crate and boarded his helicopter again.

The scene changed to Rusty walking along the beach in the early morning.

"Let's see, evil plan, evil plan," he muttered to himself. "Maybe I could plant a fake idol…or maybe…"

"Oh, hi there," Keith greeted. "How would you like in on an evil plan?"

"Would I ever!" Rusty exclaimed. "I mean…tell me about this so-called 'evil plan.'"

"For the next challenge, Chris is going to have us explore a mine," Keith explained. "What I need you to do, is make sure that Misha doesn't get her map right away. Then, I'll replace it with this altered map."

"That's genius," Rusty exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of it?"

"But you did, didn't you?" Keith said. "This was all your idea."

"You're right, I'm a genius without even trying," Rusty exclaimed.

As Keith left he just shook his head and chuckled to himself.

The scene changed to when Misha was chasing after Aurelius. As Keith jumped on the raccoon, the camera zoomed in and shows that he put the map into his jacket, and pulled out another one, which he gave to Misha.

* * *

**(Present) Confessional:**

**Keith-**Rusty got one thing right, though, it was pure genius.

* * *

**Votes:**

**Desdemona-**The most strategic thing to do right now is just take out the physical threats. So, since Jojo won immunity, the next best thing is Misha.

**Chelsea-**While I'm upset with a lot of people right now, Misha really dug her own grave with the way she acted.

**Jojo-**See ya, Misha, don't say I didn't warn you.

**Rusty-**Heh, heh, heh, all according to plan, bye-bye Misha.

**Pamela-**Keith is bad, but I don't think I could put up with Misha much longer.

**Calvin-**While Matilda is annoying, she's not a physical threat like Misha. We've got a lucky opportunity here, I think we should take it.

**Matilda-**Nobody is stronger than, like, my totally awesome boyfriend. Buh-bye Misha.

**Ilona-**Misha, you lied to us all and have destroyed any bit of sympathy I had for you.

**Elijah-**Well, Misha, if there's one bright side it's that I can see you as more than a child now. Sadly, I've already found a girl…also, you're psycho.

**Keith-**Misha, you made this all too easy.

**Riley-**Misha…I guess.

**Misha-**I don't expect to get a single vote tonight. I can't be the only one who hates that cheerleader and we are getting rid of her now.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"That's it for Misha," Chris wrapped up. "But at least she has the honour of being the first post-merge boot. Coming up next, lines will be drawn, sides will be taken, alliances will be made, friendships will be shaken. Okay, looks like Chelsea's rhyming is rubbing off on me now. But be sure to come back to see more of Chelsea and Matilda battling it out, Ilona and Elijah trying to keep things nice and fair, Keith taking out his enemies from behind the scenes, and of course Pamela doing what she does best. All this and more is coming up on Total…Drama…Stranded!"

_Author's Note: Yep, Misha was always meant to be the first boot once the merge hit. She just got too cocky in her physical powers that she let go of the one advantage she actually had. Misha was a bit of a difficult character to write for, as it was hard to keep her consistent. She had her plan to be seen as non-threatening, yet still useful. Though this just came off as her whining about her fate, no matter which way it turned. I still had fun with her, though, but now it's time for her to leave._


	20. A Rose By Any Other Name

_Author's Note: Exciting news everyone. I've created a TVTropes page for Total Drama Stranded! To check it out, just go to the website and search for Total Drama Stranded._

"Last time on Total Drama Stranded," Chris announced, "with the merge in action, the twelve campers only had to work for themselves. Misha was thrilled that she could finally say all the nasty stuff she'd been thinking. The challenge was a race to the top of a mine, and only one would win immunity. During the race, Rusty was brought into Calvin's alliance…only to blow it when he knocked the group into a hole, for no other reason than being bad. The alliance faced other troubles, though, as Elijah refused to rejoin without Desdemona, and Calvin was losing his patience with Matilda. It was a very tight race for the end…one that Misha wasn't a part of though, thanks to some tampering from Keith and Rusty. Jojo won immunity, and Misha was left defenseless…something that everyone took advantage of. Don't be fooled, though, the campers are nowhere near unified. There's only going to be more sparks flying today so get ready for another episode of Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays...**)

* * *

(Battling Beaches' Camp)

Elijah woke in the crowded shelter to find that someone was missing, Desdemona. It was still early in the morning and he would have liked to sleep a little longer, but he was curious to find out what the girl was up to. Reluctantly he stood up and stepped out into the foggy beach. The sun should have just been peeking up, yet it was blocked by dreary clouds.

"Well, so much for the summer weather," Elijah sighed.

He spotted Desdemona easily; it wasn't hard to miss her bright yellow dress. The girl was sitting on a long, looking out at the water.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked as he sat down next to her.

"Oh…just doing some thinking," she muttered.

"Don't worry, I don't think anyone will be voting for you," Elijah assured her. "I mean, they might talk about it, but right now there's still Rusty and Pamela who have to go."

"Thanks," Desdemona said with a light smile. "But I'm going to get myself into trouble sooner or later."

"Did you have another vision?" Elijah asked.

"Something like that," Desdemona said with a cold laugh.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Yesterday Misha revealed her true self and she paid the price for that. I'm walking on a tight wire as it now. I'm sure Keith is onto me and if he acts on it, I'll be going next. I may have to talk a risk…

* * *

As the morning arrived the fog disappeared, but the clouds remained in the sky. The campers woke and spread out over the beach. Chelsea spotted Ilona searching through the sand.

"What are you up to?" she asked.

"Looking for some edible shellfish," Ilona replied. "We're going to need something for breakfast."

"Oh, true," Chelsea sighed as she realized how hungry she was. "Fishing is going to be a lot harder in the wide lake. Do you think you can find something?"

"I've spent the last part of my life scavenging for food," Ilona remarked. "I think I should be able to come up with something."

Calvin had the same idea as Ilona and was also searching the sand for food.

"This is so ridiculous," Jojo complained to him. "We've been out here with barely any food, and now we're stuck eating snails."

"Actually, snails are, like, a delicacy," Matilda exclaimed. "Eating escargot is usually, like, one of those signs that you're, like, super high-class and stuff."

"So I take it you have snails at every meal?" Jojo asked.

"Oh no," Matilda laughed. "They still taste icky."

"Yeah, well this is what we have," Calvin sighed to them. "And I wouldn't mind finding a snail, since all I'm getting now is sand."

"Hello, team," Keith said as he approached them. "Having any luck?"

"Nope," Calvin sighed. "Maybe we can eat Riley. No one would notice…not even him, he's so out of it."

"Well, before we resort to cannibalism, I did manage to grab some berries last night," he said. "I know it's not a lot, but it should be enough to keep you alive."

"Wow, do you ever sleep?" Jojo asked.

"Don't worry, I've got a very extensive sleep schedule," Keith replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**It's really too bad that Keith is such a loner. While I've got Jojo and Matilda who do nothing but complain, he actually goes out to find food. But if he's not going to conform, then there's nothing I can do for him.

* * *

As everyone went about their morning, Desdemona walked up to the center of the beach.

"Uh, can I have your attention, everyone?" Desdemona asked. "I have something that I'd like to say."

"We don't want to hear another one of your prophecies," Chelsea scoffed. "They've been nothing but trouble."

"Yeah…about that," Desdemona said awkwardly.

Everyone had noticed her by now and were giving her their full attention.

"You see I haven't exactly been fully honest with you," she admitted. "The truth is…I don't have any supernatural powers. I don't see the future, it was all an act to get my farther in the game."

"You lied to us?!" Chelsea exclaimed angrily. "Everything you've said was just some stupid lie? I cannot believe this."

"Yeah, I know, you're mad," Desdemona said. "But I just want the truth to be out. My name isn't really Desdemona, it's Donna."

Silence followed as everyone stared at her. Chelsea was seething with rage, Keith was observing her curiously, Elijah just looked surprised.

"So, I take it you all hate me now?" Desdemona said. "Well, I'll just go then."

She walked briskly, towards the trees where she could hide out of view. Once she had gotten herself deep into the forest, she sighed and placed her head against a tree.

"Stupid," she grumbled to herself.

"Uh, Desdemona…or Donna?" Elijah said from behind her.

She turned around and sighed, "I may not actually be psychic, but I know what's coming now. 'We're through, I can believe I fell for your lying act,' or something like that."

"Actually, I thought that was pretty awesome," Elijah replied.

"You…what?" Desdemona asked confused.

"I mean, you had everyone fooled," he said. "And it was a smart idea, I would have never been able to think up something like that."

"Well, it did take some planning," Desdemona said with a shrug. "But you're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? The only thing I'm upset about is that you've ruined your façade," Elijah said. "But seriously, you're still the same glamorous girl, right."

"You're too kind," Desdemona breathed. "Really."

She gave him a loving hug which he happily returned.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chris-**No way are we changing the confessional titles at this point in the show. For all I care, 'Donna' is still Desdemona.

**Desdemona-**Wow, I was expecting everyone to turn on me, yet Elijah is still at my side. He really is something…and to think, I've just been using him so far. If that doesn't make you feel guilty I don't know what will.

**Keith-**Hm, an interesting move, Desdemona. She's gotten a lot of hate on her now, but I've lost the advantage of surprise in revealing her secret. Now, she's giving the others time to cool down. It could pay off, but I'll make sure that it doesn't.

**Chelsea-**I try to be nice, I really do. But some people just go too far. Desdemona, you will pay!

* * *

Once Desdemona had left, the others had soon returned to their groups.

"So, Desdemona was actually lying to us?" Matilda said in shock. "That means that, like, all those prophecies won't come true. Except, like, they could still come true, but, like, it would just be coincidence. So, like, should I still be worried, or not."

"Here's an idea, we just vote her out and forget about the whole thing," Jojo suggested.

"I like the sound of that," Keith said. "Great idea, Jojo. Now, if you don't mind, I'm just going to take a bit of time for myself."

Keith got up and began to pace along the sand. What he didn't notice was a shrub following after him in the distance. Keith walked over to the other of the beach where Chelsea and Ilona were sitting.

"Morning, girls," Keith greeted. "Ilona, it's so nice to actually see you again since the team switch."

"You too," Ilona replied. "It's nice that at least one of my old friends is still here. By the way, I don't think you've officially met Chelsea."

"No, but I've seen enough to know that she's quite the competitor," Keith said.

"Well, this is a competition after all," Chelsea replied. "A big one, at that."

"Anyways, I managed to find a few handfuls of berries last night," Keith said. "Sorry I couldn't find more, but it was a dark night."

"That's fine, we need what we can get," Ilona replied.

"So, I was thinking that perhaps we could form an alliance," Keith suggested. "It's going to get tough, and people need to stick together."

"Oh yeah," Chelsea said. "Especially when there are so many jerks in the game. Us decent people need to unite."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Keith replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**Keith was a bit of shifty guy, but I'm willing to trust him for now. Like he said, if we want to survive we need to stick together.

**Keith-**Like before, I need to make sure that all sides answer to me. My first order of business will be to take out Desdemona, which shouldn't be so hard…(shudders) I get the feeling I'm being watched; it's very unsettling.

* * *

Once Keith had left the girls, Pamela emerged from the bush.

"Hey, listen," she said to the girls. "Keith is using you."

"Look, I am really not in a good mood," Chelsea growled. "There are far too many liars in my life right now, I don't need you in the mixture."

"And yet you let Keith right into the center without a second glance," Pamela pointed out in frustration. "Great move, right there. I'm telling you, Keith is playing for both teams."

"I know what you're doing," Chelsea said. "You're just trying to turn us against each other so we don't vote you out. Well it's not going to work; you're leaving just as soon as we get rid of Desdemona…and Matilda…and then Rusty…and then you're gone!"

"Fine, I Keith backstabs you, I won't shed any tears," Pamela grumbled as she marched away.

She then made her way back across the beach to where the other alliance was sitting.

"Hey, morons," she greeted. "You don't like me, and I don't like you, but I don't like Keith even more. So I'm telling you a piece of advice: he just went over to the other girls to form his own alliance with them. He's playing all of you and it's time you realized it and got rid of him."

"That's, like, so ridiculous," Matilda replied. "You tried the exact same trick right before we voted you off."

"And not listening to me was a major mistake," Pamela said. "Remember what I told you? If you don't take out Keith he will take control of the game; well, he's pretty much done that if you don't have the guts to take him out."

As Pamela left, again in irritation, Jojo scoffed, "She doesn't know what she's talking about. Keith's with us, right, Calvin?"

Yet Calvin was already gone.

"Hey, where'd he go?" Jojo asked.

"Ooh, maybe he, like, wanted us to have some romantic time alone on the beach," Matilda suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Jojo replied as he kissed her.

Calvin was actually following after Pamela.

"Hey, wait up," he called. "Those other two might be two dense to see it, but I think you might be on to something."

"Well of course I am," Pamela said as she rolled her eyes. "Do you think I'd go around blabbing to people I hate when I don't even know anything?"

"Whatever," Calvin said. "Tell me what Keith said to the other girls."

"I dunno, 'let's unite, stick together, take out those other jerks,' something like that," Pamela answered.

"I knew Keith was going to be trouble eventually," Calvin cursed.

"Then why'd you pick him over me?" Pamela asked.

"Because you're trouble all the time," Calvin declared.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I am not letting Keith get the drop on me. It's time to start making so actually moves in this game.

**Pamela-**Calvin is an egotistical, borderline sociopath, but right now he's the only person on the island who's smart enough to listen to me. So, I'll move him off of my 'Hate List' for now.

* * *

Rusty was sitting next to Riley against the shelter.

"…after that we'll trick Calvin into voting for his own ally, and then take him out," Rusty was explaining zealously. "And once it's just the three of us, I'll stab you in the back when you least suspect it."

Rusty heard someone approaching and looked up. Calvin sat down next to him.

"Hey, you have a minute?" he asked.

"Sure," Rusty replied. "I was just explaining in detail my evil plan to my new human sidekick here."

"Um…I'm pretty sure he's asleep," Calvin said as he waved his hand in front of Riley's face.

"Really? Such a waste then," Rusty sighed. "Would you like to hear my evil plan?"

"Actually, I've got a plan of my own for you," Calvin said. "Don't think that I haven't forgotten what you did in the last challenge, though."

"Yes, that's just how a master villain like myself works," Rusty replied smugly. "I can be as evil as I want, and you still come crawling back to me."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Calvin said. "But the point is, I want to make a side alliance with you. There are some people I want gone, and I think you can help me with that. Just direct your villainy to people who aren't me."

"I make no promises," Rusty declared. "But I'll see what I can do. Who are we targeting?"

"Right now," Calvin answered, "Matilda."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**After yesterday I don't trust Rusty one bit. So before I take on a master strategist like Keith, I need to make sure I can work with this guy. And who better to target than that annoying like diva?

**Rusty-**Heh, I knew my plan wouldn't fail me. Calvin is right where I want him…now, where to go from here?

* * *

"Campers, are you ready for some excitement?" Chris asked as he stepped out of the forest.

"Yes!" Matilda cheered.

"No," Riley said as he got up.

"Well, it doesn't matter if you want it or not," Chris said. "We've got another challenge to get to today. And I hope you like fantasy Role Playing."

"Oh, give us a break, Chris," Calvin complained. "Acting, Super-Heroes, Star Wars, and now we have to throw Role Playing in there? I'll never be able to show my face back at home again."

"Ignoring Mr. Negative over there," Chris remarked. "Anyways, first I'll ask you to put these on."

He tossed a bulky watch to each camper.

"Chris, I'm all for Role Playing, but, like, these watches are totally gross," Matilda exclaimed.

"And you think I care?" Chris replied. "These watches will monitor your health. With each blow you take in the challenge, your health will go down. If it reaches zero, you're out of the challenge. Last one standing wins single immunity."

"Sounds simple enough," Chelsea remarked.

"But that's just the beginning," Chris said. "Now it's time to add another key detail."

He went back into the woods and came back soon with a large trunk and a small bag.

"Each of you will draw a slip of paper in this bag," Chris explained. "It will tell you what role you will be playing as. With each role comes a costume, and certain advantages or burdens. The roles are not equal, might I add, some will give up a godly boost and others will do nothing but hold you back. It's all luck of the draw. Who's first?"

"I might as well get it over with," Calvin sighed as he reached in and pulled out a slip of paper. " 'Peasant.' That doesn't describe me at all."

"Too bad," Chris said. "Peasant gets five health, the default amount, and a farming tool which can deal double damage to anyone it hits."

Chris handed Calvin his costume, a potato sack and a plow.

"Who's next?" Chris asked.

"It's time for me to shine," Chelsea exclaimed s she stepped forward. "Give me something good!"

She drew 'Knight.'

"Ooh, that's a good one," Chris exclaimed. "Knight gets to wear armor which increases its health to six, as well you get a sword that can deal two damage."

"Ha, I'll take it!" Chelsea exclaimed, then started to cheer, "You'd better have fright, 'cause I got you in my sight. Swinging my sword from left to right, I'm the all mighty knight!"

Chelsea was given a suit of armor, which she fitted on herself eagerly, as well as a blunted sword.

"Me next!" Rusty exclaimed. "I'm going to get the most powerful, evil role ever. All the rest of you aren't going to stand a chance against the…'Goblin?'"

"Ah yes, the goblin," Chris exclaimed. "It's a wild creature, and therefore only has four health; however, with each fatal blow he delivers, he gets one health up."

"And what kind of weapon will I be getting?" Rusty asked.

"None," Chris told him. "You will use your bare hands. They can only deal one damage at a time."

"This sucks," Rusty pouted.

Rusty got a green skin-tight suit with only a loincloth.

"Give me what you got, Chris," Elijah said as he stepped forward.

" 'Wizard!'" Chris announced. "The wizard uses his wand to cast spells on his enemies. Each spell is guaranteed to do at least one damage, however they also have random effects too."

"Sounds fun," Elijah said as he accepted a starry rope, pointed hat, and curled wand.

"I'd better get something, like, uber-fashionable!" Matilda exclaimed as she reached into the bag. " 'Berserker?'"

"Ah, one of my favorites," Chris exclaimed. "You get a mighty axe which deals three damage, as well as armor to give you six health. However, both are incredibly heavy and will make movement difficult. Especially on someone as light as you."

Chris placed a horned helmet on Matilda then handed her a bulky armor and massive axe. She tipped over instantly.

"I'll give a try," Keith said as he reached in. " 'Assassin?' Hm, that sounds like it could be fun."

"The assassin is a tricky role," Chris said. "You get a dagger which can kill anyone with a single strike. However, on the other side of it, you only have one health."

"Not a problem," Keith assured Chris.

He received his costume, an outfit that didn't cover much flesh, as well as a scarf that covered his mouth.

"I guess it's my turn," Ilona said as she approached the bag. " 'Archer.'"

"A pretty simple role," Chris said. "You get the default health and a bow. Your arrows deal only damage, but can be used from a distance."

Ilona's costume was a green, Robin Hood themed outfit.

"Alright, my turn," Jojo said as he stepped forward. "I'm gonna get something good, I can just feel it."

"Ooh, better luck next time Jojo," Chris remarked.

" 'Princess?' Are you kidding me?!" Jojo exclaimed. "I demand that I get to draw again."

"Nope, you get what you drew," Chris said. "The princess can't use any weapons, and has no benefits. But you do get a lovely dress."

Jojo's dress was frilly and pink; it also came with a bejeweled tiara.

"No way in hell am I wearing this!" Jojo declared.

"Then you'll forfeit the challenge," Chris said.

Jojo just growled in frustration as he took the dress.

"Looks like I'm up," Desdemona said.

"I wonder if there's a hag role," Chelsea sneered.

" 'Merchant?'" Desdemona read.

"Ah, that's a fun one," Chris said. "You'll get a sack of items with random effects. You must carry it with you, however, you may only give them to people other than you. So, you're pretty much useless, considering how after your little revelation today you have no friends."

"She's got me!" Elijah declared.

"I meant friends she wouldn't be ashamed of," Chris said.

Desdemona took her costume, and Arabian themed outfit with a turban.

"Well, this doesn't have any racial implications at all," Desdemona scoffed dryly.

"Pamela, you're next," Chris said.

"Goody," Pamela said as she rolled her eyes and drew from the bag.

" 'Dragon!'" Chris announced. "That's a very special role. You do triple damage to everyone, and are immune to blows. However, it comes with an enchanted heart; if the heart is hit then you die instantly."

Pamela picked up dragon costume.

"This looks ridiculous," Pamela scoffed.

"And don't forget your heart," Chris said as he handed her a crystal orb. "Guard it with your life because…it is your life."

Pamela picked it up and examined it.

"Riley, you're the only one left," Chris said. "Come grab your card."

"Ehm…I don't wanna get up," Riley groaned. "Can't you just read it for me?"

Chris grumbled as he picked up the card.

"It says, 'Ogre,'" Chris announced. "Like the goblin, the ogre is a wild creature and only has four health. However it gets a club. With each blow this weapon delivers, the recipient becomes poison, meaning they take double damage."

"'Kay," Riley replied.

Chris tossed to Riley his costume, an identical one to Rusty's except it was brown and spotted instead of green.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**(in costume and holding heart jewel) Yeah, I think I pretty much just won this challenge. There's no way I'm letting anyone get close to me, but I'll be sure to deal some sweet pain to…oh, maybe Keith!

**Matilda-**(wearing armor and helmet and holding axe) Whoa, this is heavy. I'm barely even able to walk—Whoa! (falls over.)

**Chelsea-**(in armor and holding sword) Alright it's time to be the hero and slay the beasts…some good examples include Desdemona, Matilda, Rusty, and Pamela.

**Desdemona-**(wearing turban and outfit and holding stuffed sack) Well, this is just perfect, I need immunity if I want to survive tonight, and I'm stuck with a lame ability.

* * *

"Alright, campers, I'll give you time to spread yourselves out," Chris said. "But once I give the signal, the watches will become active and anything goes. May the best champion win!"

The campers quickly broke off into groups and dashed into the forest. That is, except for Matilda, who was having difficulty taking a single step.

"Come on," she urged herself as she strained her body.

"Uh, do you need a hand?" Jojo asked her.

"I don't think there's, like, anything you can do," Matilda sighed.

"Well, at least I can stand by you and make sure you stay safe," Jojo offered.

"Okie-dokie!" Matilda replied. "But I do have this axe thing too."

She gave her weapon an experimental swing and almost Jojo.

"Whoa, careful with that," Jojo cautioned. "One hit from that and I've lost half my health."

Meanwhile, in the forest, the campers had all dispersed. Elijah and Desdemona were both sticking together as they made their way through the woods.

"Let's head for the waterfall," Desdemona suggested. "We're going to want to get as far as way from the others as possible. If we're lucky maybe they'll all end up killing each other."

Elijah noticed someone else running nearby.

"Hey, Ilona," he called. "Want to join us? You know what they say, there's strength in numbers."

"Hm, I'd better not," Ilona sighed. "Nothing personal, but I am friends with Chelsea and she's not going to be happy to see Desde—er, Donna. It might be best if try to keep the two of them separate."

"No surprise there," Desdemona said as she rolled her eyes.

"I think she's got her sights set on Matilda right now, though," Ilona said. "I'll try to keep an eye on her and see if I can keep her away from you for now."

"You're the best, Ilona," Elijah said with a smile.

"Yeah, may the stars smile upon you and all that," Desdemona added.

"Still doing that?" Ilona asked.

"It still sounds nice," Desdemona shrugged.

Meanwhile, not too far away, Riley was making his way to a tall tree.

"Hm, if Keith can sleep in these, maybe I can give it a shot," he reasoned as he started to climb. "And if I'm lucky, those other guys will just leave me alone."

As he got comfortable on a firm branch, Rusty and Calvin walked right below him.

"Alright, the first order of business is to take out Matilda," Calvin said. "Once we make sure that she doesn't have a shot on immunity, then we can work on winning for ourselves."

"Sounds good," Rusty said. "I've also had Aurelius set up a little…surprise."

"What do you mean by that?" Calvin asked quizzically.

"Well, that would ruin the surprise, heh," Rusty replied.

"Whatever," Calvin sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**It shouldn't be too hard to take out Matilda. She can barely move.

**Calvin-**Working with Rusty has its advantages. For one thing, I can just pass all the blame onto him and get off without a stain on my name.

**Ilona-**Elijah is a surprisingly good friend. He's really looking out for Desdemona. Personally, I hope she does alright; even if she did lie, she shouldn't be punished for telling the truth.

* * *

"Alright, campers, time to begin!" Chris announced through his megaphone as he pressed a button.

Everyone's watches lit up to show a heart. Most were pink and divided into five pieces. Riley and Rusty's both only had four divisions. Chelsea and Matilda's were silver, signifying an armored layer. Keith only had one solid heart, as did Pamela, yet hers was golden.

"Okay, let's do this," Jojo exclaimed. "I don't care if I have to wear this stupid dress and don't have any weapons, I'm still winning!"

He and Matilda waited on the beach for something to happen. In fact, it didn't take too long before Chelsea showed up.

"It's time for you to pay, Matilda," Chelsea exclaimed as she drew her sword.

"Like, you don't scare me," Matilda retorted as she wobbled her axe.

"Better let me handle her," Jojo said as he stepped between Chelsea and Matilda.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Chelsea said. "I just want Matilda."

"Well, that's your mistake then," Jojo said as he shoved Chelsea.

Her watch beeped and the heart turned to just a regular pink heart.

"Oh, that was uncalled for," Chelsea exclaimed.

"No, it wasn't, you were threatening my girlfriend," Jojo said.

Chelsea narrowed her eyes and hissed, "Fine, be that way."

She swung her sword and Jojo who dodged aside.

"Don't think you can keep dodging," Chelsea said as she swung from side to side. "I'm a baton master."

Despite her words, though, Jojo continued to hop around her weapon.

"You leave him alone!" Matilda exclaimed as she swung her axe.

She missed Chelsea and connected right into Jojo. His watch gave a sustain beep followed by three slices of his heart disappearing.

"Matilda, you'd better get out of here," Jojo said. "For both of our safety."

"On it," Matilda exclaimed as she gradually turned to face the opposite direction.

Chelsea wasn't going to allow that, though. She stopped focusing on attacking Jojo and instead charged at Matilda.

"Take this!" Chelsea exclaimed as she brought her sword down on Matilda.

Matilda's watch beeped and she lost both the silver layer and her first slice. Matilda tried to bring her sword up to defend herself, but just twirled it around awkwardly.

"Grr!" Jojo exclaimed as he tackled right into Chelsea.

He pinned Chelsea down, preventing her from using her arms.

"Get out of here, Matilda!" Jojo ordered.

Matilda took steps at the fastest pace she could manage. Chelsea continued to struggle and eventually was able to knee Jojo right in the crotch. Jojo recoiled in pain and Chelsea got up. Jojo's watch beeped; since it wasn't a sword blow, he only lost one slice of a heart. Seeing that Chelsea was coming for her, Matilda tried to increase her pace. Unfortunately, when she looked back, she missed a rock that was right in front of her. She tripped and landed right on her axe, which reduced her to one heart slice.

"Game over, Matilda," Chelsea exclaimed as she poked her with a sword and finished her off.

"I suppose I'm next," Jojo said to her.

"Of course not," Chelsea exclaimed sweetly. "I'd never attack someone with no defenses. I have more honour than that. Unlike this lying, backstabbing whore! I hope you realize which one of us you should have chosen."

Jojo just shook his head as Chelsea headed back to the forest.

"Matilda, you are done!" Chris exclaimed as he arrived on the scene. "For anyone who loses all their health, they get sent to the prison."

He wheeled up a cage and ushered Matilda inside.

"Attention, campers," Chris announced through his megaphone. "We have our first casualty of war! It's none other than Matilda!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**Yeah, I don't regret my choice at all. If anything, I'm even gladder I didn't get serious with Chelsea.

**Matilda-**This, like, totally sucks. Chelsea needs to, like, chill out. Like, a lot.

* * *

Out in the forest, the other campers had all found locations to wait at. Desdemona and Elijah had arrived at the base of the waterfall. Pamela was climbing up the side of the mountain. She placed her jeweled orb in a deep crevice.

"There, that'll keep me safe," she remarked.

Ilona had climbed a tree and had her bow aimed down below her. She saw something out of the corner of her eye and quickly twirled around.

She was ready to shoot until Keith exclaimed, "Whoa, it's just me. I'm not going to hurt you."

Keith was approaching from a different tree. Ilona didn't fire, but she kept her arrow pointed at him.

"Like I said, we need to stick together," Keith said. "If you and I unite, we can make sure at least one of us wins immunity."

"I guess that makes sense," Ilona replied. "But still, don't get too close to me. One strike from your dagger and I'm done for."

"And a single blow from you will take me out," Keith reminded her. "I think it's in both of our interests to have just a little bit of distance between us."

Not too far away on the ground, Calvin and Rusty was hiding behind a bush.

"Well, did you hear Chris's announcement? Matilda is already out," Calvin remarked. "Looks like I won't need your help after all."

"Oh, I get it know," Rusty exclaimed. "As soon as you don't need me, you take me out. Well, not if I attack first!"

Rusty tried to karate chop Calvin on the shoulder. Calvin caught his wrist before he made contact though.

"I never said anything like that," Calvin pointed out. "We can still work together to win immunity, but…let's split up to do that."

"Ah, you got it," Rusty exclaimed. "Those other guys won't know what hit them."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I'm going to need to work on getting Ilona to actually trust me. She seems to be okay with me, yet I still sense that she's got her suspicions.

**Calvin-**The thing I don't like about Rusty is that he's so unpredictable. He could stab me in the back for now reason just out of the blue. That's why I'd rather keep us separate for now.

* * *

Calvin had left behind Rusty. Now he was sneaking from bush to bush, looking for his first victim. He found Chelsea walking through the forest.

"Surprise!" he exclaimed as he leapt out and swung his plow at her.

Chelsea was quick to react, though, and blocked with her sword. The two become to clash weapons numerous times. Eventually, Calvin was able to spin around Chelsea and strike her in the back.

"Ah!" Chelsea cried as her heart went down to three pieces.

She angrily swung her sword back at Calvin, but he managed to block again. From the trees, Ilona and Keith eventually spotted the commotion.

"We should help her," Ilona exclaimed.

"Good idea," Keith said. "I'm going to back up a bit, though. If Calvin decides to attack me, that's all it'll take to get rid of me."

With that Keith moved back out of view. Ilona pulled up an arrow and aimed it down.

"Okay…let's see if I can do this," she murmured to herself.

It was difficult to get a clear shot when Chelsea and Calvin kept moving around, and Ilona wasn't exactly a trained marksman. But she knew that if she missed, she would give away her location. She pulled back and fire. The arrow bounced right off of Calvin's body. His watch beeped at sent his heart down to four.

"Huh?" he exclaimed as he saw Ilona.

Chelsea prepared to strike again, but he regained himself and rolled out the way. Realizing he was outnumbered, he decided to retreat.

"Yeah, you'd better run," Chelsea shouted.

"This isn't over," he called to them. "I'll be seeing you for round two."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I'll just let those two run into some other fights. Once they're both down to one health, I should be able to finish them off.

**Keith-**I'd rather not risk Calvin seeing me on the other side. I can easily explain it, but that still might weaken his trust in me.

* * *

Elijah was twirling his wand while Desdemona was reaching her hand through her sack.

"This is so unfair," Desdemona sighed. "I've probably got all this cool stuff in here, but I'm not allowed to use it on myself."

"Well, why don't you give me one?" Elijah asked.

"Not right now," Desdemona said. "We've got to be ready for any attackers. And since this morning, I'm going to have a lot of people out to get me."

"Um, can I ask you a question?" Elijah said. "If you're so upset about everyone being mad at you, then why did you reveal your identity?"

Desdemona looked around, then said, "Can you keep a secret? I'm pretty sure Keith is some kind of mastermind. Whenever I'm around him I just get that vibe, and I'm certain he had something to do with Misha's downfall. If decided to reveal me, then everyone would take me out. So I did the only thing I could to avoid that. If I'm lucky people will eventually let it go, and return to their old vendettas. But if I could win immunity that would really help."

"Well, I'll do everything I can to keep you safe," Elijah exclaimed.

"Hey, I think someone's coming," Desdemona said as she backed up.

The two looked out and saw something pink approaching. It was Jojo. The boy's charge was made somewhat ridiculous by his giant dress, but he was still charging right at the two. Elijah pointed his wing and swung it awkwardly. It fired a green light then soared off in the wrong direction. He tried to fire again, but he was too late. Jojo slammed into and knocked him into the water.

"Ow!" Elijah cried as his watch went down to one.

"You're next," Jojo said to Desdemona.

The girl just to evade Jojo, but he grabbed her arm and tossed her into the rock wall. She moaned as her watch turned down to four.

"Hey, leave her alone," Elijah exclaimed as he got out of the water and tried to tackle Jojo.

Jojo just held him back with a one hand. This, however, allowed Desdemona to break free.

"Elijah, catch!" she exclaimed as she reached into her bag and tossed something at Elijah.

It was a round, blue bomb.

"Uh, what am I supposed to do with this?" Elijah exclaimed.

The bomb then exploded in a puff of smoke. When the smoke had cleared, Elijah was down to two health.

"Uh, thanks, Donna," he sighed.

This did give him the advantage of distracting Jojo though. He whipped his wand and fired a red light. It hit Jojo and sent his heart right to zero. However, it also had the effect of making his watch glow bright red.

"What's happening now?" Desdemona asked.

The area filled with bright light and when it cleared Desdemona had lost another slice of heart.

"Well, I guess we're even now," she sighed.

"Well, well," Chris exclaimed as he arrived. "Looks like our damsel has gotten herself into distress. Get in the cage, Jojo."

Jojo sighed as he walked into the cage with Matilda.

"And as for you guys, good show," Chris said to Elijah and Desdemona. "You've discovered the bomb item, it does double damage to whoever's holding it when it goes off."

"Well, that would have been nice to know ahead of time," Elijah remarked.

"And you got to see the nova spell," Chris continued. "When it hits someone, it damages everyone else in the area."

"Just try not to use that one when I'm around," Desdemona told Elijah.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**I can't believe I'm the second one out, this is so not my style. But at least I managed to do some damage before I got taken out.

**Desdemona-**It sure is nice to have Elijah around to protect me. If I wasn't so focused on the game, I might actually be falling for him.

* * *

Rusty crept through the woods and eventually came upon Aurelius. The raccoon looked exhausted and was covered in dirt.

"So, how's that trap coming?" Rusty asked.

Aurelius squeaked something.

"It had better work," Rusty snapped. "Or else I'm deducting your share of the prize."

Aurelius shook his fist and chittered something angry.

"Yeah, yeah, I've hurt that one before," Rusty scoffed. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got more people to take down."

He continued to make his way through the woods until he came to the base of the mountain. He noticed something green wandering around and began stalking it.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed as he leapt onto Pamela.

Pamela just shoved him off of her.

"Sorry, no dice," she said as she pointed at her golden heart. "But I wouldn't mind doing a little damage of my own."

She punched Rusty in the stomach and his heart went all the way down to one fraction.

"Uh, gotta go," Rusty said as he quickly retreated.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**(Aurelius is on his lap chittering and punching his fists together) I am not translating that.

**Pamela-**Rusty should have just let me finish him off; it'll save him the humiliation.

* * *

Chelsea was now travelling with Ilona and Keith. Ilona and Chelsea walked together, while Keith still stuck to the trees.

"Calvin ran just along here," Chelsea said. "We should catch up with him soon enough."

Ilona, however, realized that they were headed in the same direction that Desdemona and Elijah had gone.

"Um, maybe we should split up now," she suggested. "You know, cover more ground."

"Good idea," Keith agreed. "I'll follow Calvin. I should be able to get the drop on him. You two head off that way."

"That makes sense," Chelsea said. "I don't actually have anything against Calvin."

"Really?" Ilona sighed. "Trust me, he's the one person on this island you should hate."

Chelsea just shrugged. She and Ilona headed off in another direction, while Keith continued to follow after Calvin. As Chelsea and Ilona walked together, they began to hear a strange noise.

"What is that?" Ilona asked.

"It sounds kind of like…snoring?" Chelsea suggested.

Both girls looked up to see Riley sleeping on a branch above them.

"I've got him," Ilona said as she prepared an arrow.

However, just as she fired, Riley rolled over and tumbled right out of the tree. Ilona's arrow missed and Riley came crashing down right on top of her.

"Huh? What?" Riley mumbled as he got up.

His club made contact with Ilona, and her heart went down to four. It also turned a sickly green.

"Oh no, I've been poisoned," Ilona exclaimed.

"I'll take care of this guy," Chelsea told her as she swung her sword onto Riley repeatedly.

"Okay, okay, I'm out, whatever," Riley moaned as his watch turned empty.

"Rusty, in the cage!" Chris exclaimed as he quickly arrived with a cage behind him.

"Time to get back to that dream," Riley said as he went to sleep next to Jojo and Matilda.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**Well, so far we've been doing alright. If this keeps up, though, Chelsea is sure to run into Desdemona eventually and it won't be pleasant.

**Keith-**This will actually work out nicely for me. I can help out Calvin, and the other two won't even know.

* * *

Calvin was currently making his way towards the waterfall. It didn't take long for Elijah and Desdemona to spot him, though.

"Ah, if it isn't the traitor and the liar together," Calvin exclaimed. "You make a fine pair of losers."

"Get lost, Calvin," Elijah exclaimed.

"Here, I'll give you something to take him down with," Desdemona offered.

"Uh, that's okay, I got this," Elijah said hastily as he fired his wand.

It was a blue light that hit Calvin right in the chest. His heart lost its second piece and turned icy blue.

"Hey, what gives?" Calvin exclaimed as he found that he could no longer move.

"Ha, a freezing spell," Desdemona exclaimed.

She then began dancing in front of Calvin tauntingly.

"Ha, ha, you can't hit me, you can't hit me," she mocked.

However, Elijah's spell didn't last long and Calvin was able to move again soon enough. He swung his blow and hit Desdemona.

"Okay, so you can hit me," Desdemona said as she backed up.

"Take this!" Elijah exclaimed as he fired a black shot at Calvin.

Calvin's watch turned pure black, and when the colour came back, the heart was empty.

"What?" Calvin exclaimed. "That is so unfair."

"It's perfectly fair," Chris said as he arrived. "Elijah just used his Avada Kedavra spell."

"Please, on top of everything, don't add Harry Potter to this," Calvin groaned.

Calvin was shoved into the cage with the three other losers.

"To recap," Chris said to the audience, "Elijah and Desdemona both have two health remaining. Rusty is down to his last slice of health. Keith only had one to begin with. Chelsea is down to three. Ilona has four, but is poisoned so it's only like having two. And Pamela has her enchanted heart to keep her safe. But anything could happen and these standings are sure to be shaken up."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I'd better be careful from now on. There are still some strong competitors out there and I'm not doing too swell so far.

* * *

Rusty was waiting in the bushes for someone to walk by his trap.

"Come on, it's just waiting for you," he muttered.

He eventually heard the sound of two girls talking. They were too far to trigger the trap though.

"Looks like I'll have to improvise," he remarked.

He got out of his hiding spot and charged right at the two girls.

"Hey, guess who!" he exclaimed as he shoved Chelsea from behind.

Chelsea stumbled over and lost another heart.

"Oh, you're going to regret that," Chelsea exclaimed as she tried to swing her sword at him.

Rusty just stepped aside. Ilona was also preparing to shoot an arrow, but at close range that didn't work so well. Rusty just snatched the arrow out of her hands and knocked her into a tree. Due to her poisoned effect, she lost two hearts from that.

"I'm done messing around," Chelsea exclaimed as she swung at Rusty again.

"Too bad, I'm not," Rusty replied as he turned to run. "Catch me if you can."

He made sure to run slow enough that the girls could follow right behind him. Then suddenly, he jerked to the right. Chelsea tumbled forward right into a hole. However, this hole was only a few feet deep.

"You call this a trap?!" Rusty snapped at Aurelius. "I told you to make something that was sure to destroy them. But if you want something done right, do it yourself."

He tackled Ilona who had no time to react. She was knocked into the hole on top of Chelsea. Ilona's watch beeped as she was eliminated from the challenge. Rusty's meanwhile gained a slice of heart.

"Ha, I am the best!" Rusty cheered.

"We'll see about that," Chelsea exclaimed as she jumped out of the whole with her sword drawn.

"You didn't happen to set another trap, did you?" Rusty asked Aurelius.

The raccoon shook his head.

"Then it's time to run again!" Rusty exclaimed as he began sprinting away from Chelsea.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**The great thing about my genius plan is that I can be as evil as I want, and I'm still not going anywhere. My alliance with Calvin, and my new sidekick Riley, are still taking out Matilda.

**Chelsea-**Is there like some contest going on to see who can piss me off the most?!

* * *

Keith had arrived at the waterfall in time to see that Calvin had already been eliminated. He stayed hidden in the trees though as he watched Desdemona and Elijah. He formulated an idea and hopped down to the ground.

"Hey, Elijah," he said friendlily.

The boy quickly turned around and fired his wand. Keith dodged.

"Hey now, I just want to talk," Keith said. "I think we can work together for this challenge."

"Really?" Elijah asked.

"No," Keith replied before stabbing him with his dagger. "And by the way, that's what we call an ironic echo."

Elijah's heart was sent straight to zero. Chris soon arrived with the cage, now containing Ilona as well as the others.

"Get it, Elijah," Chris ordered.

Keith then advanced towards Desdemona. She met his eyes challengingly, but then turned to escape. She began climbing up the rock cliff next to the waterfall.

"Sorry, Desdemona, I can't let you get immunity," Keith said as he began to climb after her.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you," Desdemona said as she kicked down at Keith.

She missed, but it was enough to cause Keith to lose his balance. He tumbled down to the ground and watched Desdemona climb away.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**That was close. But on the other hand, I'm not too worried about immunity. I know I'm safe, Desdemona can't say the same thing.

**Desdemona-**Great, I'm all alone now, and I've got Keith out to get me. It's time to get serious.

* * *

Desdemona had climbed up to a large ledge and was making her way around the mountain. She continued to climb and inch across the ledges until she was looking down over the forest. Something sparkling in the sunlight caught her eye and she looked over at it. Something was reflecting light from a crevice in the mountain. She climbed over to another large ledge just above the crevice. It was then that she realized that she wasn't quite alone.

"Hey, you!" Pamela exclaimed from a lower ledge.

Pamela began climbing up towards Desdemona menacingly. Desdemona remembered that Pamela's ability was to do triple damage; this wouldn't be good, even if she did have more than two health remaining.

"Hey, Pam, I've got something special for you," Desdemona said as she reached into her sack.

She pulled out a green mushroom and tossed it at Pamela. It smacked her in the face and she stumbled back down the side of the mountain.

"And now I'll take something special for myself," Desdemona said as she reached down and grabbed Pamela's crystal orb.

"No!" Pamela cried.

"So long," Desdemona said as she slammed the orb against the rock.

Pamela hit the ground and her heart disappeared.

"Pamela, bad luck for you," Chris said as he arrived with the now very full cage. "That mushroom you grabbed had the power to revive health. But seeing as how you really only had one piece of health to begin with, it couldn't save you."

"That was such a cheap play," Pamela complained. "You said she couldn't use her own items."

"But she wasn't using it," Chris pointed out. "She was giving it to you."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I don't believe this. Keith and Rusty are still in this game? I mean how hard can it be to take out a guy with only one heart, and an idiot?

* * *

"We're getting close to the finish," Chris exclaimed. "Chelsea, Desdemona, and Rusty are all down to their last two hearts. Keith is still on the one. It all comes down to this."

Chelsea marched with determination to the base of the mountain. From there, she could see Desdemona standing on a high ledge.

"I'm coming for you," she announced.

"Ah, looks like we've both found the same enemy," Keith said as he appeared behind her.

"Let's get her!" Chelsea exclaimed.

However, before either of them could attack, Rusty jumped out of the bushes.

"Surprise!" he exclaimed as he jumped onto Keith's back and knocked the boy into the dirt.

Keith's one heart disappeared.

"Keith, cage," Chris ordered.

"Ha, take that," Pamela sneered.

"That's what I call karma," Elijah added.

Rusty's heart went up to three now.

"Oh, you are so dead!" Chelsea exclaimed as she jabbed with her sword.

Rusty just leapt up onto the mountain.

"Catch me if you can!" he laughed.

"I will," Chelsea replied as she began climbing as well.

As Rusty neared Desdemona, she helped pull him up.

"Here, we can work together," Desdemona said as she pulled something out of her sack. "Use this to take her out."

She handed a slingshot and a sack of marbles to Rusty.

"I like the look of this," Rusty said as he fired a marble at Chelsea.

It bounced off of her helmet and her health went down to one.

"One more hit and she's out of here!" Desdemona exclaimed.

"But, maybe I'd rather take out you," Rusty laughed as he turned around and fired a marble at Desdemona. "Ha, bet you didn't see that coming!"

Desdemona's health was also sent down to one.

"Jerk!" she snapped as she kicked him in the shin.

Chelsea then pulled herself up and poked Rusty in the back with her sword.

"That does it for you," Chelsea declared.

"Poop," Rusty sighed as he began climbing down.

"And now it's your turn," Chelsea said to Desdemona.

She swung her sword, and Desdemona tried to back up. However, she had reached the edge. The only way to escape would be to climb, but Chelsea was too close to evade.

"Oh no, I am not letting you take me out that easily," Desdemona declared as she swung her sack at Chelsea.

She knocked the girl right off the ledge and she tumbled down to the ground.

"Chelsea, you're out!" Chris exclaimed. "Our winner of the day, Desdedonna—whatever her name is."

"Yay," Elijah cheered.

He was the only one to cheer though.

"So, it's time to vote again," Chris said. "Our immunity winner is safe, but anyone else is fair game. I'll give you some time to plan out your vote and then it's elimination time.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Well, that's a relief.

**Chelsea-**So you got lucky, Donna, you're luck's going to run out soon enough.

* * *

(Battling Beaches' Camp)

The teams had split into their usual groups. Elijah and Desdemona were celebrating together happily. Chelsea and Ilona were together, as were Jojo, Calvin, and Matilda. Keith was going back and forth between both groups. Right now he was currently sitting with Chelsea's group.

"So, like, can we agree to, like, vote out Chelsea?" Matilda asked. "She's gone, like, super cray-cray."

"I agree," Jojo said.

"Ha!" Rusty exclaimed as he jumped out of the bushes. "The only person going home today is you!"

"Me?" Matilda asked. "Why do you, like, want me out?"

"Don't ask me, it was Calvin's idea," Rusty said. "And there's nothing you can do about it, so ha!"

"What? Calvin, you're planning on voting out Matilda?" Jojo asked.

"No!" Calvin said defensively. "I don't know what this guy is talking about."

"Yes you do," Rusty exclaimed. "You know, the whole evil plan you came to me about?"

"You're crazy," Calvin said. "Matilda is my…BFF."

He shuddered as he said the acronym.

"Yay! BFF power!" Matilda exclaimed as she hugged Calvin.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Rusty-**Come on, every evil plan needs a little gloating before it's executed. Calvin really needs to review his evil etiquette.

**Calvin-**Way to go, Rusty, now she'll never even let me go…(Camera zooms out to show that Matilda is still hugging Calvin)

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

"Welcome, Beaches, to your second elimination as a merged tribe," Chris greeted. "Today was definitely a tough fight for immunity. You're really going for the throat now. Anyways, let's start by giving a pinecone to Desdedonna."

Desdemona smiled as she grabbed her pinecone. Chelsea glared at her.

"And we've got another one for Riley," Chris continued.

Rusty had to grab Riley's pinecone and hand it to him.

"And Pamela."

"Elijah."

"Jojo."

"Calvin."

"Ilona."

This left Chelsea, Rusty, Matilda, and Keith all without pinecones. Chelsea, Keith, and Rusty all looked confident, Matilda looked incredibly worried.

"Chelsea, you are safe," Chris announced.

Matilda began biting at her nails frantically.

"And so is Matilda," Chris declared.

Matilda fainted with relief.

"This just leaves Keith and Rusty," Chris said. "Rusty, you've done nothing, but screw around with the others. Keith, you're not out of the clear either, though, you've made some enemies too. Well, the final pinecone goes…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Keith!"

Keith just smiled smugly as he accepted his pinecone. Pamela punched her palm in frustration.

"Rusty, it's time for you to go…again," Chris said.

"Um…would you believe that I have the immunity idol?" Rusty asked meekly as he reached into his pocket.

"Rusty, this is the same immunity idol that you got from Not Quite Loser Island," Chris pointed out as Rusty handed him the totem.

"So, that's a 'no' then?" Rusty asked.

"Get moving," Chris ordered.

"I don't get it," Rusty moaned. "Where did I go wrong? My plan seemed so flawless."

"Goodbye, Rusty," Chris said as he pushed the button and launched Rusty into the air. "Let me be clear, there are no more immunity idols. From now on, winning immunity is the only way to be absolutely safe. You may now return to your camp."

* * *

**Votes:**

**Chelsea-**So, I can't vote for Desdemona. Well, I'm fine with voting for Matilda, then.

**Matilda-**Like, I can't believe that Rusty, like, wants me gone. And he tried to blame my new BFF, too. You have got to go.

**Desdemona-**Keith, I saw your true colours today and I want you gone.

**Riley-**I had a dream that Rusty told me to vote Matilda…or maybe that was real. I dunno, but I vote Matilda.

**Ilona-**I'm trying to be a peacekeeper here, but Rusty is being the exact opposite. Sorry, but I can't work with you.

**Jojo-**How dare Rusty try to get my girlfriend eliminated?! He's going down.

**Keith-**Sorry, Rusty, you're just not of any use to me anymore.

**Rusty-**(Aurelius holds up a slip of paper that says, 'Rusty) Hey, give me that! (Tears it up.) Matilda, all part of the plan.

**Elijah-**Yeah, Keith, you shouldn't have tricked me like that.

**Pamela-**I'm doing all I can to get people against Keith. I hope it's enough.

**Calvin-**Can I risk voting for Matilda? If I she goes, then Jojo will know I was in on it, and I'll lose him too. Sorry, Rusty, but you blew it, I'm voting for you instead.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And then there were ten," Chris wrapped up. "So, what awaits the campers next? Will Chelsea going to degrade into a revenge driven monster? Will Ilona be able to form some peace? Will Donna be able to keep herself safe? Will Pamela ever get Keith out? All this and more is coming up on the next Total…Drama…Stranded!"

_Author's Note: Once again, Rusty only ends up screwing himself over. Sorry to everyone who liked him, and in general I'm sorry for bringing a character back just to eliminated him soon after. However, hear me out, Rusty's entire gag was that he was an overconfident, yet unsuccessful villain. He built himself up to be your typical Total Drama villain, yet only failed, and it felt fitting that he would be given a second chance only to blow it with the exact same mistakes._


	21. Birds of A Feather

"Welcome to a super episode of Total Drama Stranded!" Chris exclaimed. "Last time, we had our campers take on your typical fantasy roles. Some lucked out like Pamela and Chelsea, our Dragon and Knight, respectively. Others, like our damsel in distress, Jojo, weren't so lucky. In the end, though, Desdemona the Merchant managed to pull through and win herself immunity…which she kinda needed as earlier she revealed her true identity to everyone. Calvin and Chelsea were both getting fed up with Matilda, while Desdemona and Elijah started to see the true danger in Keith; however, it was Rusty who blew it for himself and got voted out for a second time. We're down to our ten finalists now. With all the vendettas going on, who will be taken out next? You'll have to watch to find out on Total Drama Stranded."

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Battling Beaches Camp)

As everyone got up and spread throughout the beach, Ilona could easily see how divided they really were. There was a large distance between almost everyone, and it was clear that no one wanted to be any closer. Calvin, Pamela, Desdemona, and Chelsea were all shooting angry glares between each other from their four corners of the beach. Ilona noticed Keith and decided to sit down next to him.

"We have got to do something about this," she sighed.

"I don't know if that's possible," Keith remarked. "The lines have been drawn, I think all you can do now is stick to your side."

"I'm all for making alliances, but this is taking it too far," Ilona said. "There's no reason why the ten of us can't just make peace for now."

"That's a pretty noble statement," Keith remarked. "Since when you think about it, nine of these people could potential stop you from getting one million dollars."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I couldn't wish for a better final ten. I can thrive off of all this drama, and no matter what Ilona thinks, there's no way she's going to get her friendly group she's imagining.

**Desdemona-**I got really lucky last night. Now I've got a chance to regain myself, the first step is to expand my alliance.

**Riley-**So, I've been thinking. I've gotten all the way to tenth place without even trying; so therefore if I actually started trying I should be a shoe-in for the big prize.

* * *

Riley was currently in the wood, clumsily trying to exercise his body.

"Okay, let's see," he muttered to himself. "Push down, then push up."

As he attempted to do a single push-up, he ended up collapsing in the dirt.

"Okay, I'll count that as one," he decided. "Or maybe two, since I could really feel the strain."

At that moment, Chelsea happened to be walking by. She curiously looked over at Riley who was now trying with great difficulty to reach his toes.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a slight laugh.

"Oh…uh, hi," Riley greeted. "I just figured I'd, you know, get into shape…so I can win the money."

"Well, better late than never," Chelsea said with a smile. "Maybe you'd like to join me for a quick run."

"Ah heh, I don't know, let's just take this one step at a time," Riley said.

"Fair enough," Chelsea replied. "Maybe I'll just join you."

Chelsea said down next to him and began stretching out her legs.

"I could totally do that," Riley remarked. "I'm just not wearing the right clothes."

"You know, Riley, you're not actually so bad," Chelsea said.

"Um…thanks, I think," Riley replied.

"I mean, compared to all the jerks on this island, you're a pretty cool guy," Chelsea said. "I could use a guy like you in my alliance."

"I don't know...does that mean more work for me?" Riley asked.

"Just voting for who I tell you to," Chelsea said. "Which right now is probably going to be Desdemona or Matilda."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Spending time with Riley was actually pretty nice. He's just so chill it's hard to feel enraged when talking with him.

**Riley-**I hope this alliance thing works out. It could be an easy way right to the finish.

* * *

Matilda and Jojo as usual were dedicating all their time to each other. Calvin just watched them as they clung onto each other and talked.

"And then the third best British celebrity is, like, totally one of the Spice Girls," Matilda explained. "I forget which one, though, but, like, that's why she's third and not first."

Calvin massaged his temples with frustration.

"Are you about ready to get rid of her?" Keith asked as he appeared behind Calvin.

"No question about it," Calvin said. "Just so long as Jojo doesn't find out that we were involved with voting her out, he should stay loyal to us."

"And we've got the perfect scapegoat," Keith added. "A Little Miss Chelsea."

Meanwhile, Keith was in turn being watched by another pair of campers.

"Look at him, playing everyone like pawns," Desdemona remarked. "But will they listen to me? They didn't listen to Desdemona when she foretold the future, they won't listen to plain old Donna now."

"So, what are we going to do?" Elijah asked.

"We're going to recruit more people for our alliance," Desdemona declared. "There are still some people who aren't aligned with anyone. We need to spread out and convince them to join us."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**The closer we get to the finish line, the tighter these alliances are going to have to become. People with no allies need to get them fast, and I can benefit from that.

**Calvin-**Matilda and Keith may be my allies, but I don't want to keep them around much longer. However, I can't just take out half of my alliance at one. For now, I'll just take out the one I like least.

* * *

Pamela was throwing rocks at a tree with frustration.

"Hey, Pamela," Desdemona said as she approached the girl.

Pamela threw a rock behind her, that Desdemona ducked to avoid.

"Whoa, whoa, I come in peace," Desdemona exclaimed.

"Have you ever heard of something called, 'The Truth?'" Pamela asked. "You should try it some time."

"But I'm telling the truth," Desdemona said. "I think we should align."

"But that's the exact opposite of peace," Pamela retorted. "You want to use me as a weapon in your war."

Desdemona just rolled her eyes and said, "Look, you hate Keith and have made that clear. I want him gone too, so I think we should align together."

"I don't do the whole alliance thing," Pamela declared. "Why would you pretend that someone is your friend, just so you can betray them that much closer to the prize?"

"Look, do you want Keith gone or not?" Desdemona asked.

"I'm still voting for him," Pamela declared. "If you want to vote him out too, go ahead. But that's your business, not mine. And we are not in an alliance."

"For now, I'll take it," Desdemona declared.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Pamela is going to get herself destroyed. She's a monster to everyone, and she refused a perfect opportunity for an alliance. Once I don't need her anymore I won't have any problem voting her out.

**Pamela-**Right now the thing that I care about most is making sure a lying weasel like Keith doesn't win the prize. Once I'm done with that I can start focusing on other things.

* * *

Riley had easily gotten exhausted from what Chelsea described as, "a light warm-up."

"Well, just keep trying," Chelsea said. "I'm headed back to camp for now."

"I'll…join you…as soon as I…catch my…breath," Riley wheezed.

Riley just said on the ground breathing heavily for another couple of minutes. Then Elijah arrived.

"Hey, Riley, buddy," Elijah greeted. "Look, I noticed that you've been hanging by yourself lately and figured that you might want to join an alliance. Desdemona and I are trying to get people to help us survive the next couple of eliminations; and while we're at it, maybe take out some of the less friendly people."

"That sounds like a good idea," Riley said. "But do I have do anything myself?"

"Nope, just vote with us," Elijah said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**Hm, I haven't really been paying much attention to what's been going on in the game, so I'm not sure which alliance is better. Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

**Elijah-**Riley is really going to need an alliance since I don't see him winning immunity anytime soon.

* * *

As everyone eventually began grouping around the main beach, Ilona stood up on top of the shelter and began trying to get everyone's attention.

"Hello, everyone!" she announced. "I'd just like to say something. I've noticed a lot of animosity going on between all of us. I think it would be really nice if we could just put all of that behind us. I mean, I'm not asking you to all be best friends, but can we at least avoid any more conflict until the end of the contest?"

"That has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Calvin said as he stepped forward. "You expect me to just tolerate all these horrid freaks? I don't think so."

"Look, the ten of us have been through a lot, I just think it's time to calm down," Ilona said.

"And I seem to recall you weren't exactly the most friendly team mate," Calvin said as he climbed up on top of the shelter too. "You were pretty rough on me and my boys."

"You were giving me no option," Ilona declared with frustration.

"And how is that any different from now?" Calvin asked. "I have no option but to crush all the losers on this island. And face it, you just going to fight back, aren't you?"

"I am going to be taking a nonviolent approach from now on," Ilona declared.

"Ha, that's a pathetic lie," Calvin scoffed. "You think you have some right to tell us how to live? And if we don't do what you say, you're just going to get mad and resort to violence. You are nothing but a selfish hypocrite."

"That's not fair," Ilona exclaimed. "All I'm trying to do is help everyone."

"Keep telling yourself that," Calvin scoffed. "Are you going to hit me?"

"No, I told you, I'm not using violence at all," Ilona declared.

"Then allow me," Calvin said as he shoved Ilona over the edge.

She landed painfully on a rock surface.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Don't think I'm done with Ilona either. Really she's just a bully who wants us all under her thumb, I can tell. Just because I acted first, don't think that I'm the villain in this situation.

**Ilona-**I tried. And I'm not done trying either.

**Chelsea-**That was so mean of Calvin. But he was right about one thing, Ilona's idea was completely ridiculous.

* * *

A shadow cast over the beach and the campers looked up. A helicopter was arriving with several crates attached beneath it.

"Greetings, campers!" Chris exclaimed as he dropped the crates and hopped out of the helicopter.

On closer inspection it could be seen that the crates had several air holes in them.

"All of you have made it to the final ten," Chris declared. "Your skills have gotten you this far, whether it was your strategy, your physical abilities, or simply getting lucky and getting pulled back into the game."

Everyone turned to look at Riley with this phrase.

"Anyways, you're the best of the best, but another one of you is still going home tonight," Chris continued. "For today's challenge, each of you will getting a little partner. In each of these ten crates is a different bird which you will be paired with for the challenge. Your goal is to get your bird through three of these hoops."

Chris pushed a button and suddenly a large hoop with a propeller attached hovered over the ground. Two more appeared in the distance as well.

"The birds have some training, so they're not going to just leave the island, but other than that I can't say," Chris explained. "We have a wide variety, so some of you will be getting an easy advantage while others…won't."

"Well, at least your honest about it," Desdemona said as she rolled her eyes.

"It's impossible to tell what bird is in each cage, though," Chris said. "You'll have to just pick at random and see what you get. Who's first?"

"Me," Chelsea announced. "Let's see what I can get."

She walked around the crates curiously and finally settled on one.

"Let's see what's in here," she said.

Chris pushed a button and suddenly a large eagle soared out.

"Whoa," Chelsea exclaimed.

The eagle began circling in the sky before it came down to the ground to glare at the campers.

"He's definitely a good flyer, but can you control him," Chris said. "Who's next?"

"I'd better get something good," Calvin said as walked towards a cage.

Chris opened it, and slowly a pigeon hopped out.

"Well…it could be worse," Chris said.

The pigeon hopped over to Calvin and looked up at him intently.

"Just don't let me down," Calvin said to the bird.

"Who's next?" Chris asked.

"I'll go," Ilona said.

She just walked to the nearest cage. Chris pushed the button and a dove flew out gracefully.

"Well, she looks nice," Ilona said as she reached out her arm.

The dove landed on her shoulder friendlily.

"Yes, but is she a winner?" Chris asked.

"Okay, let's get this over with," Pamela said as she walked forward. "And you'd better not screw me over, Chris."

"Yeah, it's entirely your choice, you just don't know what you're choosing," Chris said.

Pamela picked a box which Chris opened. A penguin waddled out.

"Are you kidding me?!" Pamela scoffed. "This isn't a bird, it's a fish with legs."

"Nope it's a bird, just not a good one to have for this challenge," Chris said.

"Now it's time to get the winning bird," Jojo exclaimed as he stepped forward.

Chris opened his cage, yet nothing seemed to come out.

"What gives?" Jojo asked.

"Oh, it's there," Chris said. "You just have to look for it."

After some squinting, Jojo realized that there was a tiny hummingbird fluttering around his head.

"Okay…not exactly what I'd call a winning bird," Jojo said. "But with me on its time, that won't make a difference."

Keith stepped forward next. After a brief pause to think, he picked his cage. Chris opened it and a falcon flew out and straight to Keith's arm.

"Oh, come on," Pamela exclaimed. "How is that not rigged?"

"Who's next?" Chris asked.

"I'll go," Matilda said. "I hope I get something super pretty."

Matilda took a long time deciding between the remaining cages.

"Any day now," Chris prodded.

"Give me a minute," Matilda exclaimed. "I need time!"

Eventually she decided on her cage.

"Are you sure?" Chris asked.

"Yes…no wait, no…I mean yes…er," Matilda stammered.

"Too bad, all decisions are final," Chris declared.

He opened the cage and a swan strode out gallantly.

"Ooh, pretty!" Matilda exclaimed.

The swan took one look at her and stuck its beak up in distaste.

"Let's see what you got for me," Desdemona said as she stepped forward.

Chris opened her cage and a green parrot flew out.

"Bawk, Polly want a cracker," the bird said as it flew towards Desdemona.

"Well, not much of a choice left," Elijah said as he looked at the two remaining crates. "I'll take the one on the right."

Chris opened the cage and a lovebird fluttered out. It spotted Elijah and immediately began cuddling up against him.

"Well, I like you too," he said to the bird.

"And that just leaves Riley," Chris said. "I think you might find your partner someone familiar."

Riley shrugged in confusion as he walked over to the crate. A large chicken waddled out of the crates and towards Riley.

"Hey, Tubsy-Wubsy," Riley greeted. "Good to see you again."

"Okay, campers, you have your challenge, let's get to it," Chris exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Well, I can't win this challenge, but I can make sure Keith loses.

**Riley-**Great, a challenge where I don't even have to do anything. I'll let Tubsy do all the work and take the immunity for myself.

**Desdemona-**I'm definitely not safe, but I think I'm better off than I was before. Still, I'd better win immunity just to be sure.

**Keith-**I'd say I've got immunity in the bag…not that I need it, though.

**Chelsea-**Hm, I wonder if I can work a rhyme between 'eagle' and 'beagle' into one of my cheers.

* * *

"Okay, campers, the hoop awaits your bird," Chris said. "Once you get it through there, you may move onto the forest."

The campers began moving towards the floating hoop and tried to find a way to get their animal partners through it. Except for Riley, who just sat down in the sand.

"Okay, Tubsy, just do your thing," Riley said. "I think I've earned myself a nap."

Tubsy-Wubsy clucked and sat down next to Riley.

"It's okay, take your time," Riley said to the hen.

The others, meanwhile, we're ordering their birds to fly through the hoop.

"Come on, get up there," Elijah said as his bird continue to rub against his face. "I mean, you're nice and all, but I'd really like you to help me win this challenge."

"Okay, Miss Swan, could you, like, fly through that ring?" Matilda asked.

The swan huffed and turned the other direction.

"Pretty please," Matilda said.

The swan just marched away from her.

"Looks like we've got a prima donna on our hands," Chris remarked.

"You, go through the hoop," Desdemona ordered her parrot.

"Polly want a cracker," the parrot replied.

"You don't deserve a cracker," Desdemona said. "Now go through the hoop!"

"Cracker?" the parrot continued to ask.

However, no one was having more trouble than Chelsea. Her eagle had return to the sky and was now just circling around on its own accord.

"Get down here!" Chelsea called. "I need you to go through that hoop!"

The eagle ignored her.

"Chris, you said they were trained," Chelsea exclaimed.

"Trained to not leave the island," Chris reminded her. "That's it."

"Falcon, hoop," Keith ordered sharply.

The falcon understood and immediately soared upwards.

"Not if I can help it," Pamela exclaimed.

Her penguin quacked at her quizzically.

"Get lost," she said to it.

She then grabbed a handful of stones and began tossing them at the falcon.

"Hey, birdy!" she exclaimed. "You stay away from that hoop."

The falcon screeched and turned to escape her attack.

"That was a low attack, Pamela," Keith said as he shook his head in disappointment.

"Hey, if we all got trained falcons, I might agree with you," Pamela retorted.

Calvin was currently trying to coax his bird to fly.

"Come on, just do it," he ordered.

The pigeon tentatively flapped its wings and began to ascend into the air. Unfortunately, Chelsea's eagle happened to spot the pigeon and thought that it might make a good snack. The eagle dived down with its claws outstretched and the pigeon immediately began to panic.

"Hey, stay away from my bird!" Calvin exclaimed as he leapt at the eagle.

This resulted in the bird's talons getting stuck in Calvin's jacket. The eagle got annoyed and tried to shake Calvin off. However, this only ended up with Calvin getting swung back and forth along the ground.

"Okay, this is good," Chelsea said. "Now I just need to guide him towards the hoop."

Chelsea tried to directed the eagle's wing, but this just made it angrier and it tried to bite at Chelsea.

"Okay, that's not going to work," she muttered.

"How about you try getting me out of here?" Calvin suggested.

"Right, I'll get on that," Chelsea said as she tried to remove the eagle's talon.

Once again, though, this just upset the bird who began shaking both of them around as it tried to fly away.

"Hey, has anyone seen my hummingbird?" Jojo asked. "I thought he was right here but…now he's not."

"We're kinda busy," Chelsea replied as she continued to wrestle with her eagle.

Ilona looked around at all the chaos going on.

"Hm, just be careful, okay," she said to her dove.

The dove cooed then gently flew through the hoop.

"We have our leader," Chris exclaimed. "Ilona, you and your dove may move onto the forest where the next hoop awaits you."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Matilda-**That swan needs to, like, totally learn some manners.

**Keith-**Ah, Pamela, she just doesn't learn. By the end of today everyone will see her as the horrid jerk, she is. Last time, I underestimated her, but this time I'm sure that she is not a threat.

**Pamela-**I bet Keith just said something smug about me. Well, I also bet that he's going to underestimate me again, and that's going to get him crushed.

**Chelsea-**(covered in scratches) I think I'd rather have the penguin, at least he doesn't seem intent on hurting anyone.

**Ilona-**Once I win this challenge I'm going to be voting out Calvin. That is a perfectly nonviolent way to deal with him.

* * *

Ilona left the group and headed into the woods, but no one else seemed close to passing the test. Chelsea was continuing to struggle with eagle which was still stuck on Calvin. Calvin, meanwhile, had just given up struggling and was hanging limp.

"Come on, let go, let go!" Chelsea ordered as she tugged on the bird.

The eagle was now trying to fly again, and was actually succeeding in taking off with Calvin and Chelsea holding onto him.

"Let go…but preferably once we're a little lower," Chelsea ordered.

Elijah, meanwhile, had realized that there was no way his lovebird was going to leave him alone. Instead, he had decided to climb up a tall tree that stood near the hoop. And his bird stuck close to him.

"Okay, there's the hoop," Elijah said as he stood just a few feet away from it. "Now fly into it."

He grabbed the bird and tossed it forward. The bird stopped in midair, looked between the hoop and Elijah, then flew back to Elijah.

"Ugh," Elijah sighed.

Suddenly, the branch he was standing on snapped and he tumbled down to the ground. The lovebird wasted no time in diving after him, then cuddling with his collapsed body.

"You remind me of someone," he said. "How does the name Shannon sound to you?"

Elijah brushed himself off and went to join Desdemona.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"Lousy," she replied. "Watch…Polly, go through the hoop. Now!"

"Polly want a cracker," the bird replied.

"Do I look like I have a cracker with me?!" Desdemona snapped.

Pamela meanwhile was continuing to chase off Keith's falcon whenever it came close to the hoop.

"That's right, beat it!" Pamela exclaimed as she tossed another handful of stones at the bird.

Suddenly, she tripped over something and stumbled to the ground. She looked to see that she had crashed right into her penguin.

"I told you to get lost!" she snapped.

"Now's your chance," Keith exclaimed to his falcon.

The falcon obeyed and swung around right through the hoop.

"And Keith makes it past round one!" Chris exclaimed. "You may move ahead to the forest."

"Fine, I'll just stop you there," Pamela declared as she followed after Keith.

"Not so fast," Chris said as he dragged her back. "Only people who pass the first round may move onto the forest."

"But there's no way this penguin is going through that hoop," Pamela scoffed.

"Rules are rules," Chris replied.

While all of this was happening, Jojo continued to search for his lost hummingbird. Calvin's pigeon was enjoying some time to peck at the ground. Riley slept on the ground, while Tubsy-Wubsy sat next to him. Matilda was still having issues with her swan.

"I am, like, getting super sick of your attitude," she exclaimed. "Just go through that hoop already!"

The swan made a gesture that seemed to mean 'get lost.'

"I'm not going anywhere," Matilda declared as she grabbed the bird's wing and tried to pull it towards the hoop.

The swan began to freak out at this and began pecking at her hand.

"Like, ow!" Matilda cried. "That was uncalled for."

The swan huffed again and flew away from Matilda. Desdemona, meanwhile, had come up with a new idea.

"Hey, Polly, I got a proposition for you," she said.

"Polly want a cracker," the parrot repeated.

"Yeah, about that," Desdemona said. "If you go through that hoop then I promise you a cracker."

The parrot immediately soared off of her shoulder and through the hoop.

"Desdemona makes three," Chris exclaimed.

"Yes!" Desdemona cheered.

"Say, about that alliance…" Pamela said as she approached her. "Not that I want to be a part of it, but it would be really helpful if you stopped Keith from winning this challenge."

"It'll be my pleasure," Desdemona said smugly.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I guess you could say that we're in an alliance. Just not the typical kind; this alliance has one purpose, to take Keith out.

**Desdemona-**I don't know about the long term, but I think for now we can count on Pamela to be on our side.

* * *

(The Forest)

Ilona walked through the forest with the dove on her shoulder. She saw the next hoop hovering between the crowns of trees. She heard the sound of people approaching and decided that she had better hurry.

"Okay, girl, go for it," Ilona said.

The dove began to fly, but it seemed to be having trouble. Ilona rushed over to investigate. The dove appeared to be completely exhausted.

"Wow, you're really out of shape," Ilona noted.

It was then that Keith arrived with his falcon following behind him.

"Oh, hi, Keith," Ilona greeted. "It looks like you might be taking the lead."

"Well, it's nice to have a challenge that doesn't require physical strength," Keith replied, he then turned to his falcon. "Go, get that hoop."

Desdemona arrived next with her parrot clinging to her shoulder.

"Sorry, Donna," Keith said smugly. "I know how much you were looking forward to stopping me."

"I still can," Desdemona exclaimed. "Polly, you see that falcon? Yeah, he stole your cracker."

Polly narrowed his eyes and zoomed towards the falcon.

"People, please, let's just go about this civilly," Ilona exclaimed.

However, it wasn't the people that she should have been worried about. Polly was tearing into Keith's falcon, who was screeching and fighting back.

"This is going to get ugly," Ilona said as feathers flew through the air; she then turned to her dove and sighed, "Whenever you're ready."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**I'm pretty sure that Keith and Desdemona are both decent people, but the nature of this game is turning them into cold enemies.

**Keith-**Donna is no more than a mere annoyance. There's no more she can do then throw immature tantrums.

* * *

(The Beach)

"And Jojo gets to move onto the next level!" Chris exclaimed.

"I do?" Jojo asked.

"Yep, didn't you see your hummingbird go through the hoop?" Chris asked.

"Apparently not," Jojo replied.

"Well, it did," Chris said. "If you want I can play it in super slow motion."

"Nah, I'll take your word for it," Jojo said as he turned to walk to the forest.

"You see, even Jojo is getting ahead of us," Elijah exclaimed to his bird. "Are you going to take that?"

It seemed that the bird's answer was, 'yes,' as it continued to snuggle against Elijah. Matilda, meanwhile, wasn't having much more success with her swan. She was trying a new tactic, though. Using a vine as a lasso she wrapped it around the swan's neck and began tugging.

"Let's. Go!" She urged.

The swan just stared at her with disdain before biting at the vine and snapping it half. Matilda was sent sprawling into the sand. Meanwhile, Chelsea and Calvin were being carried over the lake.

"Um, Mr. Eagle, would you mind going back to the land?" Chelsea asked.

However, as fate would have it, the final thread in Calvin's jacket snapped at that moment. He grabbed onto Chelsea and the two of them splashed right into the lake.

"Well, that certainly wasn't fun," Chelsea exclaimed as she surfaced.

All of the commotion had woken Riley up from his nap.

"So, have I won yet?" he asked Tubsy-Wubsy.

The chicken just clucked in response.

"Come on, Tubsy, what are you waiting for?" Riley said. "The hoop is right there; just fly through it, boy."

"Um, Riley, perhaps now would be a good time to tell you that chickens can't fly," Chris said.

"Drag," Riley sighed.

"While I'm at it, Tubsy-Wubsy isn't a boy, she's a girl," Chris said.

"Double drag," Riley sighed again. "Well, looks like I'll have to put this hard work thing into action."

Chelsea and Calvin had reached the beach by now, both of them we're covered in scratches and soaking wet. The eagle, meanwhile, had returned to circling in the sky.

Calvin walked over to pigeon and demanded, "Hoop, now!"

The pigeon flapped its wings and slowly went through the ring.

"And Calvin will also be moving ahead," Chris said.

"Later, losers," Calvin smirked as he left the scene.

"Did you hear that? He called you a loser," Elijah said to his lovebird. "You'd better show him."

But this had no effect on the infatuated lovebird.

"Oh for crying out loud," Pamela scoffed. "Allow me."

She grabbed the bird and ripped it off of Elijah's face. Then tossed it like a baseball right through the ring. The bird just began flying in time to not hit the ground. It flew back to Elijah and gave a bitter chirp towards Pamela.

"Well, that was unexpected," Elijah said to Pamela.

Pamela just shrugged, "I guess if we're going to be in an alliance, I might as well help you out…and…you're not…so bad."

"I'll take it," Elijah said before following after Calvin.

Riley, meanwhile, had grabbed Tubsy-Wubsy and was trying to climb up a tree near the ring. However, after reaching the second branch, he ran out of breath and had to take a break.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**This 'hard work' thing is really hard, and involves a lot of work. I don't know if I like it.

**Pamela-**I'm not going all soft or anything. But if I can't win this challenge, I should probably help someone deserving win. And Elijah really hasn't done anything to get on my nerves lately, which is more than most people can say.

* * *

(The Forest)

The fight between Polly and the falcon was not getting any better. The falcon had realized that he wasn't dealing with an ordinary bird, and that this one was particularly determined. So, he decided to retreat, but Polly wasn't having any of this.

"Alright, time to win another challenge!" Jojo exclaimed as he arrived.

"Don't you need your bird for that?" Desdemona asked.

"Isn't he right…where'd he go?" he exclaimed.

Calvin arrived next.

"Whoa, you're not looking too good," Desdemona exclaimed.

"Shut it," he ordered. "It's time to show you losers how it's done."

Ilona sighed to herself as she realized that her break from Calvin as over.

"Okay, anytime now," Ilona said to her dove as coaxed in to fly again.

The dove took off, but it wasn't fast enough to avoid Calvin's wrath. With a stick he smacked it aside.

"Sorry, can't have that," he said.

"Oh, that is just evil," Ilona exclaimed.

"Strong words from someone who wants us all to get along," Calvin replied. "Maybe you'd like to reconsider your statement."

"Hey, how'd you like some of your own medicine?" Desdemona exclaimed as she swung a stick at his pigeon.

However, Ilona grabbed the stick and snapped it before it could reach its target.

"No, we're not sinking to your level," she declared.

Keith's falcon had finally flown through the hoop, and Polly had followed after it.

"Keith and Desdemona get to move ahead," Chris said as he stepped onto the scene.

"I'm so outta here," Desdemona said to Calvin.

"I look forward to winning," Keith said to her.

Desdemona just rolled her eyes.

"Hey, guys, what'd I miss?" Elijah asked as he arrived.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**The cycle of violence can grow very dangerously. And it really doesn't help to have Calvin fanning the flames for no reason other than spite.

**Calvin-**I intend to break Ilona eventually. Once I've cracked her exterior she'll crumble just like the rest.

**Desdemona-**'I look forward to winning.' Oh, he is so annoying.

* * *

(The Beach)

Riley was very slowly making progress up the tree. Once he reached the top, he gave Tubsy-Wubsy and light toss. The chicken when through the hoop, and managed to slow its fall by flapping its wing.

"Alright, I rock," Riley exclaimed. "Let's go, Tubsy."

This just left three girls on the beach. Pamela was just sitting down bored, while her penguin waddled around her. Chelsea was still trying to convince her eagle to come down from the sky. Matilda was nowhere in sight, but her swan was currently preening itself. Suddenly, Matilda jumped from behind a rock.

"Prepare to face, like, bitter defeat," Matilda said as she assumed a battle stance.

The swan glared at her, then assumed a similar stance. The two fought in a slow motion, Matrix-style, battle. Matilda jabbed, and was blocked by the swan's wings. She spun around in a graceful twirl. However, this just allowed the swan to clamp down on her ponytail. The scene returned to normal motion as Matilda was swung back and forth by the swan. Eventually, she was tossed aside and stumbled dizzily through the sand.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're finally getting the karma you deserve," Chelsea sneered.

"Why don't you just, like, leave me alone?" Matilda pouted.

"I will soon enough," Chelsea replied. "Just as soon as I vote you out tonight."

It was then that Chelsea noticed her eagle landing on the ground. It seemed to have calmed down by now.

"Aha, I got you now," she said as she carefully approached the bird.

However, a stone hit its head and suddenly it began to panic and attack Chelsea.

"Hey, that's karma for you," Pamela remarked as she twirled a rock in her hands.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Matilda-**It's like there are, like, two different Chelseas. The one who took charge of the tribe and told us what to do, and, like, the one who's mean.

**Chelsea-**Pamela seems to be confused about the concept about karma. It's about getting what you deserve, and what I deserve is the million dollars and a hot boyfriend!

* * *

(The Forest)

"Where did that stupid bird go?" Jojo complained as he searched through the woods. "I mean, how far could he get on those tiny little wings?"

"Don't worry about it, Jojo," Calvin said. "You can just leave immunity to me this time."

Ilona, meanwhile, had gotten down to the ground and was trying to help her wounded dove up. As Calvin passed her, he kicked dirt up into her face.

"Let me know when you're ready to be the 'bad guy,'" he said.

Ilona didn't respond. Calvin then coaxed his pigeon up. The bird flapped forward and reached the hoop.

"Just one more to go," he declared.

As Calvin left, Elijah noticed something curious.

"Hey, Jojo, why is your hat vibrating?" Elijah asked.

"Huh," Jojo said as he lifted his hat up.

The hummingbird fluttered out from underneath it.

"What were you doing in there?" Jojo asked. "Whatever, get in that hoop."

He swatted at the bird until it flew through the ring. Once Jojo had left, Riley arrived.

"Hey, guys," he said.

"Hey," Elijah greeted. "It doesn't look like there's much point in trying anymore, though."

"'Kay," Riley said eagerly as he curled up under a tree and went to sleep.

Tubsy-Wubsy cuddled up next to him.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**I'm all for trying, but if I don't have a fighting chance, why should I?

**Ilona-**I will vote out Calvin and that will end this. I don't need to get angry. He will get what he deserves. (begins muttering to herself inaudibly.)

* * *

(The Mountain)

The final hoop was hovering near the top of the mountain. Desdemona and Keith were both climbing with Keith in the lead.

"Cracker? Cracker, cracker, cracker?" Polly asked as he circled around Desdemona's head. "Cracker?"

"Leave me alone!" she snapped. "There's no cracker! There never was and there never will be! It's time to face the harsh reality, Polly!"

"Well, someone seems to be overreacting," Keith remarked. "Maybe you need to take a break. You don't have a chance at winning, so don't bother stressing about it."

Keith's falcon flew behind him. It was getting dangerously close to the hoop.

"Oh, it looks like Keith has this won," Chris exclaimed.

* * *

(The Beach)

The three girls had given up by now. Although, Pamela had never been trying in the first place.

"It looks like Keith has this won," Chris's voice announced.

"No!" Pamela said as she stamped her foot.

"Oh what are you complaining about?" Chelsea scoffed. "You knew you weren't going to win. Just let someone deserving take immunity."

Pamela wasn't listening to her though.

"There's got to be something I can do," she muttered to herself. "It's time for extreme measures."

* * *

(The Mountain)

Jojo and Calvin arrived at the base of the mountain to see Keith and Desdemona in a furious race. The hoop was waiting for them near the top. Keith was getting close, but Desdemona was right behind him. The falcon was following behind Keith ready for its next target. Polly wanted a cracker.

"Ooh, Desdemona is close," Chris narrated, "but can she get past Keith?"

"What's that sound?" Calvin asked.

It was a low rumbling that was quickly growing. Keith looked behind him to see something approaching in the sky.

"Hey," he said, "is that—"

"Outta my way!" Pamela cried as she piloted Chris's helicopter.

Sitting next to her was her penguin, buckled up in his own seat. The approaching helicopter was enough to send the birds away in a frenzy, and eventually enough to blow Keith and Desdemona down to the side of the mountain. Pamela managed to just barely it the helicopter through the hoop. She then awkwardly landed it on its side on top of the mountain.

"Well…that was unexpected," Chris remarked.

"But not against the rules," Pamela declared. "You said all we had to do was get our bird through each of the hoops. Well I rode through each of those hoops with this stupid bird sitting right next to me."

Chris sighed, "Well, rules are rules…but I'm certainly going to be making a 'Hands off the helicopter' rule as soon as this challenge is over."

"Ha! Take that, Keith, you are so out of here!" Pamela exclaimed.

"Whatever you say, Pam," Keith replied calmly.

"Yes, Pamela gets immunity tonight," Chris said. "You may return to your camp and plan for your vote."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I've got my alliance together and we are taking out Keith.

**Keith-**Please, overconfidence is the first step towards failure; Pamela really should know that.

* * *

(Battling Beaches Camp)

"Well, Pamela may be immune, but I know someone who has to go," Chelsea declared.

"Not this again," Ilona sighed as she placed her head in her palms.

"Matilda!" Chelsea exclaimed. "You should have seen her smug little attitude today."

"This is insane," Ilona said. "Did you see the way that Calvin acted today? He needs to go; Matilda has been nothing but sweet so far."

"Except she stole my boy," Chelsea declared. "Does that sound sweet to you?"

"Look, Chelsea, until you're ready to let go of this petty grudge, you can count me out of your alliance," Ilona declared.

"What's the problem ladies?" Keith asked as he arrived.

"Keith, who do you think we should vote for? Matilda or Calvin?" Ilona asked, hoping to get some support.

"Hm…Matilda," Keith suggested.

"Thank you…wait, what?!" Ilona exclaimed.

"What can I say? I feel for poor Chelsea," Keith said.

"Why do I even bother?" Ilona sighed as she left the two.

"Well, glad we had this discussion," Keith said before scurrying off.

He quickly grouped up with Calvin and his alliance.

"So, I'm thinking we should take out Desdemona," Jojo said. "She's already proven that she's a liar, and I don't like the fact that she did better than me in today's challenge."

"Sounds about fair," Calvin agreed.

"Can I say something?" Matilda asked.

"No," Calvin said. "The decision is settled."

As he walked away, he bumped right into Keith.

"Oof," he exclaimed; after regaining himself he asked, "Are you ready to take out Matilda?"

"Sounds like a plan," Keith said.

"Good, I am so sick of her," Calvin added.

Meanwhile, in another part of the beach, Desdemona was holding an alliance meeting with Elijah, Pamela, and Riley.

"Okay, glad that you all decided to join me," she said. "Together we can hold the majority and take out the biggest threat, Keith."

"About time," Pamela added.

"So, there's no fancy discussion, just vote for him," Desdemona declared. "Got it?"

"Got it," everyone replied.

The group split up, except for Riley who was hoping to catch some last minute sleep. He wasn't so lucky.

"Oh, Riley, just the guy I was looking for," Chelsea exclaimed as she arrived. "Okay, alliance time. Let's vote out Matilda. Thanks!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**There are a lot of people that I don't like on this show, but when it comes to Matilda, I can't even break her because then I would lose Jojo. All I can do is just get rid of her.

**Keith-**If I vote for Matilda, I keep the most people on my side. Chelsea is happy, Calvin is happy, Ilona will get over it, and Jojo is too dumb to suspect that I would betray him like that.

**Elijah-**Sorry, Keith, you seem like a nice guy at times, but you're also not so nice sometimes.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

The ten campers arrived within their set groups. Calvin, Jojo, and Matilda were all together with Calvin on the outside. Desdemona and Elijah stood together with Pamela nearby. Chelsea and Ilona tentatively stood together; Keith and Riley just stood in the middle.

"Welcome campers," Chris said. "First order of business, the birds have all been sent back to their farms and aviaries. But Elijah, I've been told that yours had imprinted on you and it would be unhealthy to keep it separated from you."

"She'll get over it," Elijah said. "All girls do eventually."

"And now for the main event," Chris said. "First off, Pamela gets a pinecone for winning immunity…in a very controversial way."

"Just give it to me," Pamela said.

"Moving on," Chris continued. "I've also got a pinecone for Jojo."

"Chelsea."

"Elijah."

"Ilona."

"Riley."

This left Keith, Desdemona, Matilda, and Calvin.

"Now, you four each received at least one vote," Chris declared. "Any one of you could be going home."

"Oh no, not again!" Matilda sobbed.

Jojo put his arm around her and tried to comfort her. Keith, Desdemona, and Calvin all looked smug though.

"This next pinecone goes to," Chris said, "Calvin!"

Keith and Desdemona glanced at each other. Keith grinned at her, which she returned darkly.

"And one more pinecone for," Chris said, "Desdemona!"

"Thank you," she said.

"Keith, this is the second time in a run that you've been in the bottom two," Chris said.

"What can I say? There are a lot of mean people on this team," Keith said.

"Is that including yourself?" Pamela asked.

"I think you need to refresh your definition of the word 'mean,'" Keith retorted. "It applies to you much, much more than me."

"Well, let's settle this," Chris said. "The final pinecone goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Keith."

"Noooo!" Matilda sobbed.

"Hey, it's okay," Jojo said as he continued to hug her.

"Okay, let's go," Chris said.

Jojo reluctantly let go of Matilda. However, he followed after her as Chris dragged her along the dock.

"You don't need that prize," he said. "You've got me. And you've got millions of dollars in fashion sense."

"You are the bestest boyfriend ever," Matilda said between tears. "You should, totally, win this whole thing."

"Matilda, you are a special girl," Jojo said. "You really mean a lot to me; and I'm going to miss you."

The two were about to kiss.

"I don't think so," Chelsea said as she pushed the button in Chris's hand.

"Hey!" Chris snapped.

Matilda was launched into the air, leaving Jojo kissing nothing but space.

"Well, she's gone," Chris said. "The nine of you are safe for another day. But tomorrow we're doing this all over again. Until then, you may return to your camp."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**I've had a lot of girls in my life, but Matilda really was something special. I think I had a connection with her that I've never felt before. And now she's gone.

**Chelsea-**Finally.

**Keith-**While I never expected Jojo and Matilda would end up so close, the plan still went off without a hitch. Matilda is gone and I'm still in power.

**Pamela-**What the hell happened?! I did everything possible to take Keith out, and he survives…again! This game has got to be f**king rigged.

* * *

**Votes:**

**Keith-**Matilda, you've made an excellent pawn. But it's time for you to go.

**Ilona-**I'm hoping that people realize how much of a problem Calvin is. I'm voting for him, and I hope I'm not alone.

**Chelsea-**Matilda, Matilda, Matilda!

**Jojo-**Desdemona, no one upstages me like that!

**Matilda-**Well, I'd rather vote Chelsea, but, like, I have to vote with the alliance for now, I guess.

**Desdemona-**Keith, you're time is up.

**Calvin-**Matilda, you are the most annoying person on the planet. Just shut the hell up and leave.

**Elijah-**So long, Keith.

**Pamela-**Keith, you're not as powerful as you think. I've got the majority on my side and we're taking you out.

**Riley-**Okay, I'm in two alliances. Chelsea wants me to vote for Matilda and…I forget the other one. So, looks like I'm voting for Matilda.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"Well, Matilda brought the style, but couldn't save her game," Chris wrapped out. "With her gone, what lies in store for everyone she affected? Will Chelsea get a hold of herself? Will Jojo up his game? And can Keith continue to avoid eliminations…because I assure you, this game is not rigged. Anyways, tune in next time for more Total…Drama…Stranded!"

_Author's Note: Well, so long, Matilda. She was another one of those characters that really just went out and developed on her own. I originally had her planned to be a bit more negative, yet she was also just a sweetly innocent character. Even after she joined Calvin's alliance, she kept the sort of cluelessness that kept her so endearing. She was never a fan favorite, but I ended up liking her a lot more than I expected._


	22. Eggceptable Targets

"Hello, and welcome to Total Drama Stranded," Chris exclaimed. "Last time, the final ten was given birds to work with. Their task was to guide their feathered friends through three hoops. Some, like Keith, lucked out and got the perfect bird for this kind of task. Others, like Riley, were less lucky with what they got. Yet I don't think anyone expected Pamela and her penguin to pull through a victory…with a helicopter! Pamela won immunity and it looked like Keith might be going…if it wasn't for the fact that Riley was in multiple alliance. With Chelsea and Desdemona on either side of him, Riley went with Chelsea and voted out Matilda. This satisfied our resident cheerleader, but was heartbreaking for Jojo. We're down to nine now and the stakes are high. Will Keith squeeze by again? Will Ilona succeed in instilling some peace? Will Riley actually do anything this challenge? All of this and more is coming up on Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays**)

* * *

(Battling Beaches' Camp)

The nine campers had all woken up and, as usual, spread to their own locations. Desdemona was currently organizing her alliance into a meeting

"Alright, everyone, we urgently need to have a discussion," she said as she gathered Elijah, Pamela, and Riley together.

"I'll say," Pamela snapped. "I did everything I could to take Keith out yesterday, yet for some reason he's still here! Care to explain?"

"Oh, yeah, I can explain that," Riley said. "You see, I'm kinda in an alliance with Chelsea too."

"This would have been nice to know earlier," Desdemona said dryly.

"Look, Riley, we need to know that you're with us," Elijah said. "Chelsea isn't exactly doing so swell; if you stick with her, you're not going to make it to the end."

"Okay, if you say so," Riley replied.

"The important thing, though, is that you vote for Keith!" Pamela insisted. "He's like a weed that keeps on growing; and you need to make sure that when you kill it, it's actually dead."

"Alright, Pam, just stay calm," Elijah cautioned.

"Sorry, not my style," Pamela scoffed. "Let me know when you're ready to vote, until then I'm done with you people."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Yesterday I went all out to make sure that Keith didn't survive. I flew a freaking helicopter, and let me tell you, that wasn't easy. Why is all my hard work still going to waste?

**Riley-**Okay, I don't have any problem voting out Keith…I just hope Chelsea doesn't mind.

* * *

Calvin was currently talking with a morose Jojo. The jock was sitting on the ground lifeless as he stared out at the sky.

"Come on, man, pull yourself together," Calvin said to him. "Yeah, Matilda's gone, but you'll her again."

"She was just so special," Jojo sighed. "A girl like that…you don't see every day."

"Well, if you don't pick yourself up, there's a good chance you'll be seeing her sooner than you thought," Calvin said. "People are going to target you, Jojo, you need to fight back."

"Yeah…maybe," Jojo said, yet he lacked any conviction.

Calvin sighed in defeat as he turned to leave Jojo by himself. As Calvin walked along the sand, he came across Riley lying against a rock.

"Hey, Riley, glad I found you," Calvin exclaimed.

"Really?" Riley asked as he cracked an eye open.

"Yeah, you may have noticed that my alliance took a hit last night," Calvin explained. "And that means there's an opening on the cool kids' team. I think you're just the guy to fill that hole."

"Um…okay," Riley said. "And I'm guessing I don't have to do anything but vote for someone."

"Exactly," Calvin said. "I want Keith gone. He's too smart, and I don't feel safe having him so close to me. Can you help me get him out?"

"That won't be a problem," Riley said with a grin.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**When I first met Matilda, I thought she was just another groupie clinging onto my amazing glory…but she was more than that. She was a sweet girl who I really had a connection with. Now that she's gone, I can really feel her missing presence.

**Riley-**I don't really need another alliance, but if I say no, then people will get mad, and I don't want that. Besides, as long as they all vote for Keith, I'm fine.

* * *

Ilona and Chelsea were sitting just along the shore.

"Ah, isn't today lovely?" Chelsea exclaimed.

"It is nice," Ilona replied weakly.

"Matilda is gone!" Chelsea cheered.

Ilona groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Do you know what this means?" Chelsea asked.

"You've destroyed a perfectly strong friendship you had and separated a loving couple?" Ilona asked.

"No…well, that too," Chelsea said. "But the main thing is that now I can finally get Jojo back."

"Oh, give it a rest already," Ilona sighed. "Look, I get that you're upset with Matilda, but Jojo made his choice."

"Hardly. He was never given a fair chance to choose," Chelsea replied. "Now that Matilda's gone, though, he's only got one option."

"Why can't you just let this go?!" Ilona snapped.

Chelsea was silent for a minute as she looked away from Ilona.

"Chelsea?" Ilona asked again.

"Look, I felt something special when I first actually got to me Jojo," Chelsea sighed. "I thought, 'this must be what true love feels like.' And then the team switch happened and I kept thinking how that could have been me. I could have been the one sent to Jojo's team where the two of us could have truly connected. Instead it was Matilda…and she stole that wonderful feeling from me."

"Chelsea, I'm sorry," Ilona said, although she sounded more concerned than sympathetic. "But you can't let this consume you. Whatever happened to that sweet girl who wanted everyone to get along?"

"I don't know," Chelsea sighed. "I've just got so many emotions going on inside of me. It's hard to be bubbly when you in so much pain."

Chelsea got up to walk along the beach, where she spotted Riley still trying to sleep against a rock.

"Ah, Riley, thanks for sticking with me last night," Chelsea said as she sat down next to him. "Can I count on you to come through for me tonight, too?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Riley said. "So, how do you feel about voting out Keith?"

"Hm…nah, I've got nothing against him," Chelsea said. "I'm thinking more like Pamela or Donna. But right now I need to work on catching the eye of a certain jock."

As Chelsea left and Riley went back to sleep, Keith peeked out from a bush.

"Vote me out? I don't think so," he remarked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**Dang, two out of three. It isn't too bad, but it looks like I'm going to have to let someone down tonight.

**Ilona-**I value friendship so I'm going to stick by Chelsea and try to help her. Help her out of this state of mind, that is; there's no way I'm helping her crazy plan.

**Keith-**My elimination is definitely not a part of my master plan. Perhaps I've gotten a little too confident lately and underestimated the others. If I want to survive tonight, I'm going to need to shift their target to someone else. But who?

* * *

"Hi, Jojo," Chelsea said as she sat down next to the jock.

"Hi," Jojo sighed.

"Do you remember that day when we met by the waterfall?" Chelsea asked.

"Not really," Jojo replied.

"It was just so…what?" Chelsea exclaimed. "You don't remember?"

"Meh, nothing sticks out," Jojo said.

"Oh…I see," Chelsea said in a disappointed voice. "I'll just…go then."

The campers were expecting a challenge to start any minute and were starting to gather in the center of the beach. Keith had moved to a tree and was currently observing all of them curiously.

"Good morning, Keith," Ilona said as she walked underneath him.

"Ah, hello, Ilona," Keith greeted. "Let me ask you something. Has anyone asked you to vote for me?"

"No, I don't think so," Ilona replied. "You're a pretty good guy, Keith. I think if anyone has to worry, it's people like Calvin or Pamela."

"Good to hear," Keith replied as he returned to thought.

"Someone call for me?" Pamela asked as she tossed a rock at Keith and knocked him off of his branch.

"That was uncalled for!" Ilona snapped. "Apologize to him."

"It was totally called for," Pamela replied. "In case you've missed the many memos, he's a lying weasel."

"Whatever he is, you don't have any right to hurt others," Ilona retorted.

"Tell me that after he votes you out," Pamela scoffed.

"Are you alright, Keith?" Ilona asked as Pamela left.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Keith replied as he dusted himself off.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**The moment I first connected with Jojo has been on replay in my mind for the last couple of weeks. Yet he doesn't even remember it. Does this mean that he didn't feel what I felt? Well, I'll have to make him feel it, then.

**Ilona-**I don't exactly trust Keith, but there's a big difference between being a strategist and being just plain cruel. I'm not saying Keith is some backstabbing monster, but even if he was, at least he's being nice about it.

**Pamela-**Ilona is so blind. She acts all high and mighty, 'defender of the weak' and all that crap; but the guy she's defending is the worst person on this island.

**Keith-**No, Pamela isn't a threat. With the way she acts, she'll get herself eliminated without my help. Right now what I need to worry about is physical threat, because, let's face it, I'm not the strongest guy out here. If I go to the finale with someone like Jojo or Ilona then all my strategy will be for nothing. I've got to do something about one of them.

* * *

"Greetings, campers!" Chris announced as he hopped out of his helicopter. "It's time for another amazing challenge. You know how it works, one of you will win immunity and one of you is leaving tonight."

"So, what's the challenge?" Elijah asked.

"Well, I'm in a bit of a holiday mood so I've got something special for you today," Chris explained. "It's Easter on the island! Hidden all over the place are tonnes of Easter eggs. Your goal is to collect them with these!"

He tossed out pouches to each of the campers.

"Store your eggs in these and bring them back by the end of the day," Chris said. "Whoever finds the most will win immunity today."

"On it," Keith exclaimed as he hopped up and skipped into the forest.

"Oh no you don't!" Pamela exclaimed. "You are not surviving again!"

She charged after him.

"Shall we work together?" Elijah asked Desdemona. "You know how much I love spending time with you."

"Let's do it," Desdemona exclaimed as the two of the headed off into the woods.

Chelsea looked like she was about to approach Jojo again, but Ilona grabbed her.

"Let's go, we've got a challenge to do," she said.

"But," Chelsea protested.

"No 'buts,'" Ilona said. "You need to get your head back in focus."

"Come on, Jojo," Calvin said. "We've got a challenge to do. Isn't about time that you went back to winning like a champion?"

"I don't feel like a champion right now," Jojo sighed.

"Let's go, let's go," Calvin said as he dragged Jojo by his arm.

This just left Riley leaning against a rock.

"Riley, the challenge has started," Chris said.

"I know, just give me a minute," Riley said as he very slowly pulled himself up.

"He's hopeless," Chris said to himself.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I'm not too worried about immunity today. When I'm through with Jojo, no one would dare vote for me.

**Desdemona-**Elijah started out as no more than an ally to me, but he's really charming me over. He's clearly head over heels…and I might be feeling the same way soon.

**Ilona-**Chelsea is a good girl, I've seen it. She needs to get away from Jojo and stop dwelling on him.

**Calvin-**Jojo is a physical threat, so once all these vendettas get settled, he's going to be a target. Which is why I have to get him out of this funk.

**Pamela-**Last time I won immunity all on my own. Right there is a perfect way to stop Keith in his tracks. He can't win, if I win. It's so simple.

* * *

(The Forest)

Keith hopped from tree to tree.

"Let's see, here's another one," he remarked as he found an egg wedged between branches. "I am so winning this."

He threw the egg into his expanding pouch. From the ground, Pamela glared at him with frustration. She looked down at her significantly less full bag. She kept her eye on Keith as she moved over to a ditch in the ground.

"Whoa, there are, like, five eggs in here!" she exclaimed.

"Make way!" Keith exclaimed. "Those are mine."

However, there were no eggs. As soon as Keith hopped down to the ground, Pamela knocked him into ditch. His pouch rolled out of his reach and spilled several eggs as it tumbled through the dirt.

"There they are," Pamela exclaimed. "I'll just help myself."

She began grabbing at the eggs, but Keith wasn't going down without a fight. He snatched several eggs as he climbed back up the ditch. Pamela managed to increase her count, though, and decrease Keith's while she was at it.

"Fine, keep them," Keith scoffed. "Consider it a sympathy gift, because you are not lasting much longer."

With that, Keith returned to the trees and left Pamela where she was standing.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Everybody's got their strategies. I just think that stealing is the best strategy for this challenge.

* * *

Desdemona and Elijah were walking together. Elijah was currently scouring through some tall grass, while Desdemona half-heartedly eyed the ground.

"Found another one!" Elijah exclaimed as he held up a gold coloured egg. "Here you go."

"Are you sure?" Desdemona asked as he tossed it into her ever growing pouch. "So far you've given every egg to me. Don't you want some for yourself?"

"Don't worry about me," Elijah said. "You're the one who needs immunity to stay safe; I think I'll be okay even if don't win immunity today."

"Well, can't argue with that," Desdemona said with a shrug. "Why don't you check over under those leaves?"

"Anything for you, my lady," Elijah replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Elijah really is a lifesaver. With him around, I don't have to do any work, but I'm still guaranteed immunity.

**Elijah-**It's funny that I tried so hard to be nice to get a girl before, yet now I've got a girl and I'm finding it impossible not to be nice.

**Pamela-**I guess I won't steal from those two. Even if their alliance has been completely ineffective so far, I might as well respect it for now.

* * *

Jojo gloomily trudged through the forest as Calvin walked slowly at his side.

"Look, there's another egg under that tree," Calvin said. "Go get it."

"Meh, why don't you get it?" Jojo suggested.

"Come on, Jojo, what would Matilda say?" Calvin insisted.

"She's probably talk about how eggs aren't hot right now, and would use the word, 'like' about twenty times," Jojo remarked wistfully.

"I think she'd be saying how unhot it is to have a boyfriend who does nothing but mope," Calvin said. "She wants you to win, Jojo, make her proud!"

"Why do you care so much about me?" Jojo asked. "You can go ahead and win this challenge. I'd just slow you down."

"Because you're my friend," Calvin said firmly. "And I don't want to see any of my friends get hurt again."

"Again?" Jojo asked.

"It's just…nothing," Calvin scoffed.

"Okay, if you say so," Jojo replied.

"Alright, I'll tell you," Calvin sighed, apparently not hearing Jojo's reply. "You see, at my school there is a very strong hierarchy. Even if you think you're a pretty cool, nice guy, there's always going to be someone who wants to step on you to make themselves look stronger. And that's exactly how this game works too. If you let your guard down, someone is going to want to exert their power and crush you."

"Don't you think you're overreacting a bit?" Jojo asked as he noticed Calvin seemed to be getting stressed.

"No, I'm not," Calvin insisted. "I've had to abandon friends to cruel punishment before, because I knew that if I went against this order, my current friends would turn into enemies. It's happened so many times before and I am not letting it happen to you! People might act nice at first, but any one of them could kick you while you're down. That's why you have to win, okay?"

"Okay," Jojo replied.

"So what are you waiting for?" Calvin exclaimed. "Get those eggs!"

"Okay, I'm going, I'm going," Jojo said as he got up.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Jojo-**Well, I'm definitely still missing Matilda, but I do think Calvin is right. I'm here to compete and if I let me guard down, it'll be all over for me.

**Calvin-**When I started this game, I finally got to feel what it means to be in power. I'm not going to let anyone blow that now.

* * *

Chelsea and Ilona were walking along the river. Ilona was currently on the ground lifting up a rock.

"Oh, here's another one," she said as she held up a cyan egg. "Why don't you take this one? I've already found a few."

"If you say so," Chelsea said as she took the egg.

"Look, we're right back at the old camp," Ilona remarked. "Remember this place?"

"It's only been a few days," Chelsea pointed out.

"Do you remember the girl who took charge and wanted to make sure her team felt like a family?" Ilona asked.

"…Yeah," Chelsea sighed.

"Wouldn't it be nice to see her again?" Ilona said. "I feel like when we left this camp you left her behind."

"I told you, it's just hard to me nice all the time when there's so much happening to me," Chelsea said. "First, Garfield was taken out, and he was the nicest guy on the island, maybe even in the whole country. Then I learn that Matilda has stolen Jojo from me. Don't I have a right to be mad?"

"You've been mad for the last few days," Ilona pointed out. "I think you owe it to the rest of us to calm down."

"I'll do that when I have Jojo by my side," Chelsea declared. "Look, I think I see an orange egg in the water."

"I'll get it," Ilona said as she waded through the river.

What she didn't notice was a hand reach out of the bushes and snatch her pouch that she had left on the ground. Pamela emptied her bag into her hands.

"Well, this will do nicely," Pamela remarked as she poured the pile into her own bag and returned Ilona's pouch.

Ilona returned with the orange egg. She opened her pouch only to find it empty now.

"That is odd, I could have sworn I had a lot more than this," Ilona remarked.

"You see, I bet someone stole them," Chelsea exclaimed. "This just proves my point. I shouldn't be standing down, you should be standing up with me."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Sorry, Ilona, but that's what you get for defending a rat like Keith.

* * *

Riley had barely travelled any distance in this time.

"Let's see, nothing here, nothing there," he muttered as he turned over rocks and leaves. "Come on, there's got to be something everyone else missed."

After much searching, he got his wish. He found a single egg hidden inside of a hollow tree.

"Okay…one," he counted. "Well, I don't think I'm doing too bad so far."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**I mean, it's not my fault that all the others got there first. I'm just not as fast as them.

* * *

Pamela's sack was getting quite heavy now.

"Heh, I'd like to see Keith beat me this time," she remarked as she grabbed another egg and tossed it in.

"Be careful what you wish for," Keith said from behind her. "I think you know how the rest goes."

Pamela turned around to see Keith hanging from a branch above her.

"So, you think you're going to be winning again, do you?" Keith asked.

"No question about it," Pamela retorted.

"I've already collected 53 eggs," Keith said. "I'd like to see you match that."

"I will soon enough," Pamela said. "I've got 49."

"And you're proud of that, how cute," Keith taunted. "But in case you need a math revision, 53 is higher than 49. So, I guess that means I'm winning. Funny how that works out, isn't it?"

"Grr!" Pamela exclaimed as she grabbed a rock and tossed it at him.

"Trying that again, are we?" Keith exclaimed as he dropped down to avoid it. "Sorry, Pam, but you're going to need to learn some new tricks soon."

"How about this?" Pamela retorted as she grabbed onto his ponytail and tossed him into a tree.

"Ow," Keith grunted as his face slammed into the bark.

"Also, I'll take this," Pamela said as she grabbed Keith's bag. "Now here's a math problem for you: What's 53 plus 49? Doesn't matter, whatever it is, it's more than zero."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Pamela is just doing exactly what I expect of her. When everyone hears about how she assaulted me and stole my eggs, well, I think that'll just emphasize the fact that she's the villain here. Although, I wish she wasn't so hard on my poor face.

* * *

Desdemona and Elijah had arrived at the waterfall.

"Ah, such a relaxing sound," Desdemona remarked.

"Why don't you take a swim?" Elijah asked flirtatiously. "I think it could be fun for both of us

"Oh you," Desdemona replied with a grin. "We don't have time for that now; we've got a challenge to win."

"Well, if that's the case, then looks like we're going up," Elijah said as he pointed at a lime green egg wedged within the face of the cliff.

"Why don't you let me handle this one?" Desdemona suggested. "I probably should do some work here, seeing as how I'm the one who's getting all the eggs."

"Whatever you say," Elijah replied.

Desdemona began an awkward climb up the rocky wall.

"Careful, careful," Elijah called as she slipped several times.

"I got this," she replied shakily.

Tentatively she reached up for the green egg. She grabbed it, then her feet slipped out from under her. She soared downward.

"Whoa!" Elijah exclaimed as he rushed to her.

He outstretched his arms and managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

Once Desdemona had caught her breath, she smiled, "My knight in shining armor. Where would I be without you?"

"You deserve it," Elijah replied. "After all, you are the fairest of them all."

The two came close and pulled into a tender kiss. As the embraced lovingly, Chelsea and Ilona watched from a distance.

"Look at her, just displaying over the top affection to the whole world," Chelsea said with disgust. "Don't they think that others might be upset about this kind of thing right now? I ought to—"

"You're not doing anything," Ilona said as she dragged Chelsea back. "Those two aren't hurting you, so let's just leave them be."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**I have to keep Chelsea on a leash here. She'd better realize how much I'm doing for her.

* * *

Calvin and Jojo were making progress now as both of the collected eggs throughout the woods.

"Here's another one!" Jojo exclaimed as he grabbed a purple egg from a hole in the ground. "I think we're doing pretty good."

"We'd better," Calvin said. "Here's another one up here."

He reached up a tree and grabbed a pink egg.

"Maybe we should split up," Jojo suggested. "That way we'll both get a chance to cover ground."

"Okay, but don't you dare slow down," Calvin said.

"You can count on me," Jojo said as he sprinted off in a different direction.

Hidden in the trees, Keith watched him. He grinned maliciously to himself as he followed after Jojo. Meanwhile, Ilona and Chelsea were walking by.

"Look, there's Calvin," Chelsea exclaimed. "That means Jojo has got to be nearby."

"I am not going anywhere near that guy," Ilona said. "He is nothing but negativity; I suggest you just leave him."

Chelsea wasn't listening, though. She was already making her way towards Calvin.

"Okay, you're on your own now," Ilona remarked as she left Chelsea behind.

"Hi, Calvin," Chelsea exclaimed as she approached him.

"Yeah, hi," Calvin said bluntly to her.

"So, is Jojo around?" Chelsea asked. "If you don't know, I kind of have a crush on him."

"Trust me, there is no way I couldn't have known that," Calvin replied as he rolled his eyes.

"So where is he? I want to start working my charms on him," Chelsea said.

"He's not interested in you," Calvin said.

"We'll see about that," Chelsea pouted

Calvin seemed to hatch an idea to himself.

"Look, how about we make a deal?" he suggested.

"What kind of deal?" Chelsea asked.

"Well, you see, I'm quite close to Jojo," Calvin said. "I think I might be able to tell him about how great you are and he's sure to fall for you. But only if you vote for whom I tell you to."

"I don't need your help to win Jojo's heart," Chelsea declared.

"I actually wasn't done with my deal," Calvin said. "If you don't vote for whom I tell you to, I will tell Jojo all about how horrid and selfish you are. I will destroy any chance you have at getting with him."

"That's mean!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"Well, then I suggest you do what I say," Calvin said. "Now, I'd like you to get out of my sight."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Ilona was right about Calvin, he is bad news. But I can't risk losing Jojo, so I guess I've got no choice here.

**Keith-**Jojo is emotionally unstable right now. This means that I can use that against him, and destroy him.

* * *

Riley was getting tired from all the searching he was going through a decided to take a break and sit under a tree.

"Aha!" he exclaimed as he spotted an egg.

However, as he held it up, he realized that it was just a smooth rock.

"Drag," he sighed.

He opened his bag and began counting how many he had now.

"Let's see here," he muttered to himself. "One…two…okay, two, not bad."

He took one last look around at his surroundings and didn't see anything.

"I think it's naptime," he declared to himself. "Maybe when I wake up, I'll find some more nearby."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**I'm trying, I really am, but challenges aren't exactly my thing. It's a good thing I have so many alliances to keep me safe though.

* * *

Jojo was making his way up a cliff as he collected eggs. He had recently spotted a navy blue one under a rock. He rushed over to it and grabbed it.

"Alright, I'm on a roll here," he exclaimed to himself.

"Well, look who it is," someone said. "The brainless jock who can't survive without his girlfriend holding his hand."

"Hey!" Jojo snapped as he looked up.

Keith stood at the edge of the cliff.

"You'd better take that back," Jojo threatened.

"That attitude of yours is really quite pathetic," Keith laughed scornfully. "The fact that you think you're so much better than everyone else here is absolutely ridiculous. Face it, Jojo, you're as dense as brick and would never have made it this far if Calvin didn't feel sorry for you."

"Are you kidding?" Jojo said with anger creeping into his voice. "I am owning this game."

"Yes, just keep telling yourself that," Keith snickered. "That way maybe you'll be surprised when you find that you've been voted out and there's nothing you can do about it. But I don't think you will be surprised; you know deep down that you're nothing but a sad excuse for a human being with nothing inside of you."

"Oh, you are this close to a painful ass-kicking!" Jojo said angrily. "Now, take it back!"

"There you go again, pretending you have any control over the situation," Keith continued to laugh. "Well, if you're as powerful as you claim to be, why couldn't you save Matilda? Your girlfriend was depending on you and you let her down. You failed her. You were powerless to do anything as she had her dream shattered."

"Stop it!" Jojo yelled.

"You're too weak to try to hurt me," Keith taunted. "That's why I had her eliminated, because I knew there was nothing you could do about it."

"You!?" Jojo cried. "You're the reason why she left?!"

"Finally figuring it out?" Keith smirked.

"I'll kill you!" Jojo roared as he charged right at Keith.

Keith's grin broadened, then he stepped aside. Jojo couldn't stop and flew right over the edge of the cliff. He shot straight downward and landed on a rocky surface.

"Aaah!" he cried in extreme pain.

"Too easy," Keith smirked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Of course I feel bad for Jojo, but I regret nothing. I was a necessary course of action, and it's not like I did any real damage. A big jock like that has probably taken all kinds of injuries.

* * *

Several people had heard Jojo's scream and quickly came over to investigate. Calvin was the first to arrive.

"Oh my God!" Calvin exclaimed as he saw Jojo lying in agony on the rocky surface. "Jojo!"

He helped the boy up, but Jojo was clearly still in terrible pain.

"What the hell happened?" Calvin asked.

"Keith," Jojo hissed through the pain. "He eliminated Matilda."

"And he did this to you?" Calvin asked.

"Yes," Jojo replied.

Calvin narrowed his eyes and looked grimly up at the cliff. Ilona, Chelsea, Desdemona, and Elijah all arrived next.

"Jojo!" Chelsea sobbed. "Are you okay?"

"Does he look okay?" Calvin said acidly.

"I'm fine," Jojo said although his tone said otherwise. "I've taken worse falls than that. It's nothing."

"It most certainly is not nothing," Ilona said as she looked up at the cliff. "That is a painful fall. You could have broken several bones."

"Alright, alright, what's going on here?" Chris asked.

"Chris, Jojo needs medical attention," Ilona declared.

"No, I don't," Jojo insisted.

"Keith did this," Calvin declared. "You've got to eliminate him for this, Chris."

"Eliminate me for what?" Keith asked as he came out of the woods. "Oh my! Jojo, whatever happened to you?!"

"Oh, don't pull that!" Calvin exclaimed.

"I didn't do anything, I swear," Keith defended. "I've been over there the whole time."

"Well, there's no proof that Keith did anything, so he's still here," Chris said. "But the challenge is still in session, you guys have five minutes to finish your egg hunting.

* * *

(Meanwhile)

"Ha, immunity, here I come," Pamela laughed as she twirled her stuffed pouch.

It was absolutely filled to the brim with stolen eggs. Pamela was currently making her way back to the beach camp. She was in such a rare good mood that she didn't look where she was stepping. She ended up stumbling over a root and spilling her many eggs.

"No!" she cried.

She quickly tried to regain herself and grab her eggs, but many of them rolled down a slope. By sheer coincidence, this slope led down to the tree where Riley was currently sleeping. When he opened his eyes he was pleasantly surprised to find that a pile of eggs had formed.

"Whoa, how did I miss that?" he exclaimed as he began stuffing them in his pouch.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Whatever, as long as it's not Keith.

* * *

(Battling Beaches' Camp)

The campers had all returned to their main camp as the sun began to set. Jojo had to be helped by Calvin and Ilona as it was too painful for him to walk.

"I swear, it's nothing," Jojo said as they laid him down in the shelter. "I'll be walking by tomorrow."

"Alright, campers, we've had a very dramatic day, but the show must go on," Chris said. "Hold out your bags and I'll decide who the winner is."

Each camper displayed their pouches. Some like Desdemona's and Calvin's were quite full. Others like Pamela's and Keith's were near empty.

"We've got a clear winner here," Chris said. "It's Riley! As surprising as that may be."

"Woo! I'm the best!" Riley cheered.

"Now, it's time to vote," Chris said. "I'll give you some time to discuss it, then it's elimination time."

"Well, there shouldn't have to be any question here," Ilona said. "Jojo is badly hurt. It's very likely that he's broken his leg; he needs medical attention."

"Whoa, whoa," Calvin said. "The guy says he's fine, and he doesn't want to go anywhere. I'll tell you who needs to go, Keith! He did this Jojo."

"That—" Pamela's speech was replaced by a series of sustained bleeps. "He has gone too far this time! You see, you see!? This is what I've been telling all of you."

"Hold on now," Ilona exclaimed. "There's no proof that Keith did anything. I know you're style, Calvin, this is probably just your attempt to take out another 'loser.'"

"I promise to you, I'm telling the truth," Calvin begged. "Keith is evil."

"The only one who is evil here, is Pamela," Keith said as he approached the group.

"Oh, don't even start!" Pamela spat. "You monster!"

"It's not like any of you need any proof that Pamela is violent," Keith continued. "But just today I saw her steal several eggs from others, and to top it off, she aggressively abused me without provocation. And did any of you notice that she was nowhere to be seen when Jojo fell. I think it's very obvious who the evil one is here."

"So, we should vote for her?" Chelsea asked.

"Goodness, no!" Keith exclaimed. "Jojo needs attention immediately. I'm afraid we'll have to let Pamela get away with this for now."

"I cannot believe what I am hearing!" Pamela roared. "You people are going to believe this lying, filthy creature?!"

"You're not exactly making a great case for yourself," Chelsea pointed out.

"Look, we're all stressed!" Elijah exclaimed. "Let's just stop talking about it. We'll vote for whoever feels right. Agreed?"

Reluctantly everyone agreed. However, as they disbanded, Calvin grabbed Chelsea and pulled her aside.

"Now, listen, Chelsea," he said. "You are not voting for Jojo, understand? If Keith doesn't go tonight, you will lose any chance at your golden boy."

Chelsea nodded meekly. Riley meanwhile was feeling very overwhelmed by all the excitement in the day. He decided that he needed another nap.

"Riley, just wanted to make sure you're sticking with the alliance," Desdemona said. "We're voting out Keith. He went too far today."

"Got it," Riley said.

It was only two seconds later when he was approached by Ilona.

"Hi Riley, look I know we haven't talked a lot but you need to listen to me when I say Jojo needs to go," Ilona said. "He is badly injured and it will only get worse if he stays."

"Sure thing," Riley said.

"Riley, listen to me!" Pamela exclaimed as she marched over to him. "Keith goes, capiche?"

"You're the boss," Riley replied.

Keith came up to Riley next.

"Riley, I just wanted to make sure you're gonna vote for Jojo," he said. "I swear I didn't hurt him, but he needs to get help."

"Whatever you say," Riley replied.

"Riley, it's time to prove yourself to the alliance," Calvin exclaimed. "Keith must leave now."

"You got it," Riley said.

"Ah, Riley, we need to talk," Elijah exclaimed. "Look, I know this is against the alliance, but I just don't feel right keeping Jojo. He needs help even if he won't admit it."

"Sure thing," Riley said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**(holding his head) I am so confused!

* * *

Chelsea was keeping to herself as she sat on the beach. Ilona came up behind her.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ilona asked.

"I've just got a lot on my mind," Chelsea said.

"I think we all do," Ilona sighed. "Today's been rough. We could really use a bubbly personality to keep us afloat."

"Sorry, I just can't keep it up," Chelsea sighed. "Look, we need to keep Jojo in."

"No, just no," Ilona said sternly. "If you care about that boy, you need to let him get help. He'll thank you in the long run."

"I know, I know!" Chelsea cried. "But if I do that than Calvin will ruin me. He's going to tell all sorts of horrid lies to Jojo and he'll never want to see me again. Yes, I know it's selfish, I know it's shallow, but I love him! I don't want to lose this special thing I've found."

"Chelsea, listen to yourself," Ilona said as she shook her. "This obsession needs to stop now. You need to let Jojo. Right now, you have to do the right thing for him. Do you understand?!"

"I don't know," Chelsea sighed weakly.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

"Welcome campers!" Chris greeted.

Jojo had a pair of makeshift crutches now and was using them to help him make his way to the dock.

"Jojo, how you doing?" Chris asked.

"Awesome," Jojo replied. "See, guys? I'm doing fine. I don't need your pity, I'm fine."

"Well, everyone has already cast their votes," Chris declared. "And it's time to hand out the pinecones. First off, our immunity winner, Riley!"

"Go me," Riley cheered.

"Ilona!"

"Calvin!"

"Chelsea!"

"Desdemona!"

"Elijah!"

"Pamela!"

This just left Keith and Jojo.

"Keith, this is your third time in a row in the bottom two," Chris said ominously.

"You know what they say, third time's a charm," Pamela exclaimed.

Keith just yawned, "I've gotten out alive so many times, I've stopped worrying."

"Well, it's time to hand out the final pinecone of the night," Chris declared. "And it goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Keith!"

"So long, Jojo," Keith said. "So sorry about what happened."

"You're dead!" Jojo exclaimed as he tried to swipe at Keith.

However, he just ended up falling to the ground clumsily.

"Jojo, before you go," Calvin said, "there's something you should know…about Chelsea. She's nothing but a selfish, shallow bitch who thought that if she couldn't have you, the only other option was to vote you out."

"You know what, Calvin," Chelsea said fiercely. "You can lie to Jojo all you want, but I don't care!"

"What?" Calvin snapped.

"Jojo, it's taken me a while, but I've finally accepted that you've chosen Matilda," Chelsea sighed. "It hurts like you have no idea, but I have to the right thing for you. You need to get to somewhere safe right now."

"She's just trying to cover herself," Calvin snapped. "Don't listen to her!"

"Guys, please," Jojo said. "I lost, okay. I get it; this game wasn't meant for me. Can I please just get out of here? I've got a lovely lady waiting for me."

"You're wish is my command," Chris said as he fired Jojo into the air. "And as for the rest of you, you may return to your camp. And congratulations on making the final eight."

As the group walked back, Ilona placed her arm around Chelsea. The cheerleader collapsed against her. Ilona patted her gently and carried her back to camp with her.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**All through the day I've been filled with conflicting thoughts. I'm really glad that I've got a friend like Ilona. She helped me find the right path through a dark area. It's not over yet, but I'm glad I've got her.

**Ilona-**I knew Chelsea would come through eventually.

**Calvin-**Can't believe this! I cannot believe this! I promised my friend I would keep him safe, and I let him down. Keith, mark my words, you will pay for this.

* * *

**Votes:**

**Desdemona-**Keith, you're not fooling me with that charade. You've gone from schemer to monster and it's time to go.

**Calvin-**I see now that I should have gotten rid of you long ago, Keith.

**Keith-**Jojo, I'm sorry it had to come to this, I really am. But all is far in love and reality TV.

**Pamela-**Maybe now these idiots will see Keith's true colours.

**Elijah-**Jojo, I'm sorry, but I've got to look out for you. You may not think it, but you need medical attention.

**Jojo-**No way am I letting Keith get away with this.

**Chelsea-**This isn't easy but…Jojo.

**Ilona-**Jojo, you can't stay here, it's just not a good idea.

**Riley-**Jojo…Keith…Jojo…Keit…Jojo!

* * *

(Conclusion)

"How's that for drama?!" Chris exclaimed. "Now, as fate would have it, sense Keith didn't directly injure Jojo, there's nothing we can do. I know, such as shame. Although, will the harsh vengeance be enough to get him out? Will he turn the blame to Pamela? Can Chelsea regain her bubbly persona? You'll have to tune in next time on Total…Drama…Stranded!"

_Author's Note: Kay, Jojo's gone. I think he has got to be the most hated character in the cast, so I'm guessing no one will be missing him. I get that he's an unlikable guy, but he did have to stay this long because he was a key player in several plotlines. We're down to the final eight now! Who will win?_


	23. A Fib, A Lie, The Truth

"Previously on Total Drama Stranded," Chris announced, "the challenge was to find as many Easter eggs as possible. Riley actually tried his hand at strategy as he attempted to get everyone to vote off Keith. Keith wasn't pleased with this, though, and devised his own scheme to take out someone else. Keith played off of Jojo's fragile emotions and got him to fall over the edge of a cliff, effectively damaging his body. Calvin threatened Chelsea, telling her that if she voted for Jojo he would ruin any chances the two had at getting together. Ilona wasn't having this, though, and insisted that Jojo needed to go for medical reasons. It was definitely impossible to predict how things would sway but both Chelsea and Riley decided on voting for Jojo, sending our resident jock packing. We've reached the lovely number eight now. Who will be going home this time? Keith for his scheming? Ilona for her physical strength? Someone completely unexpected? Find out right now on Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Battling Beaches' Camp)

Camp spirits were at an all-time low. Calvin sat alone now, while Ilona tried to comfort an upset Chelsea. Pamela was angry, but that was nothing new. Keith was currently observing everyone attentively from his separate vantage point. He decided that it was time to visit Calvin and dropped down.

"Hello, Calvin," he greeted.

"Don't you dare come any closer," Calvin hissed.

"Okay, you're mad, I get that," Keith said as he backed up.

"Mad? You injured my best friend!" Calvin exclaimed. "I'm a bully, I'll admit, but I never did anything like that."

"I can tell that you're still a little hung up, but just give me chance to explain," Keith said calmly.

"You me a chance to lie?" Calvin scoffed.

"I just want to tell my side of the story," Keith said. "Look, you're right, this was my fault. But this was not my intention. I'm not proud of what I did but…well, I felt threatened by Jojo's physical strength. I wanted to make him upset so he would lose his focus. I said a lot of things…things I shouldn't have, and I regret it. He got upset alright, much more than I expected. He charged right at me…I just reacted. And then…he fell and…and…I felt so helpless, it was horrible."

Calvin remained silent as he continued to stare at Keith.

"Look, I know it must be hard for you to forgive me," Keith said, "but I just wanted you to know what really happened."

"And yet you lied yesterday," Calvin pointed out. "Why?"

"Are you kidding?" Keith scoffed. "There's an alliance that's formed all around hating me. If I admit that I was involved in that they'd be getting everyone together against me. But I'm telling you because you're my friend and you have a right to know."

"Just…just don't talk to me for now," Calvin sighed.

"I'm really sorry, Calvin, I am," Keith said as he left.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**It's all about telling them what they want to hear. Calvin isn't going to believe that I'm innocent, so I've got to soften the blow as much as possible. And what I said was mostly true, I never did want to hurt anyone and I am sorry for Jojo, but he's a tough competitor, he knew there were risks.

* * *

Chelsea was sulking in the sand. The lake water washed up against her legs.

"Chelsea, you did the right thing," Ilona told her.

"That's what I keep telling myself," Chelsea sighed. "But I just feel alone now. I realize that I've made a lot more enemies than friends now; this isn't the summer that I had imagined."

"Hey, you've still got me," Ilona assured her. "And I don't ever abandon my friends."

"Thanks," Chelsea said with a smile. "We can to this together, right? You and me, final two."

"Definitely," Ilona promised.

"Good morning, ladies," Keith greeted.

"Hello, Keith," Ilona replied.

"So, I just wanted to make sure that neither of you believe that ridiculous lie that I hurt Jojo," he said.

"Of course, it was that awful Pamela like you said," Chelsea said.

"Whoever it was, they need to leave immediately," Ilona said. "What they did was simply wrong."

"Don't you think you might be overreacting just a bit?" Keith asked. "I mean, yes it's terrible; but Jojo's going to be fine. He's an athlete, this is probably light compared to some of the injuries he's taken from football."

"It just upsets me," Ilona said. "It's completely unfair for Jojo."

"Well, I don't think we should dwell on it," Keith said. "We shouldn't put a damper on our spirits; we're so close to the end and we should be looking forward to the big prize. And like I said, Jojo's going to be just fine."

"Yeah, I can vouch for that," Chelsea said. "I've seen a lot of games in my cheerleading career and guys like him take a lot of abuse to their bodies…none of them were ever as dreamy as Jojo though."

Ilona sighed to herself and returned to consoling Chelsea.

"I'll leave you girls to yourselves," Keith said. "Just try to keep your heads up. Everything will be alright."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Ilona is all about morality, so if she finds up the truth then she is not going to be happy. That's why I need to keep it a secret from her. But I can keep reminding her to not take it so seriously, so if she does find out, I'll have that on my side.

**Ilona-**It is impossible to get a clear read on Keith. I don't think he's capable of injuring someone…but I don't really know anything about him. All I can do is take his word and have faith in him.

* * *

For again, Desdemona was trying to get her alliance into order.

"Okay, people, last night didn't go as planned," she remarked, "but we all know that Keith was the menace behind Jojo's 'accident.'"

"Do we?" Elijah asked. "I mean, he's sneaky, but would he do that?"

"Well who else would do it?" Desdemona asked. "Calvin is his friend, Ilona is too nice, we know it wasn't any of us…"

"Hey, where's Pamela?" Elijah asked.

It was true, Pamela was not present for the meeting.

"Oh that girl is so hard to work with," Desdemona grumbled. "I'll find her."

Desdemona found Pamela by herself carving angrily against a tree.

"Hey, alliance meeting," Desdemona said.

"I'm done with your alliance," Pamela declared. "Keith broke someone's leg and you still couldn't get rid of him. If you're not doing what you said then I'd rather not spend any more time with you."

"Hey, I've voted for him every time for the last couple of nights," Desdemona said.

"Well, it's obviously not working," Pamela pointed out. "Until you can actually have any effect, I'll just stick to dealing with Keith my way."

"Fine, whatever, just be sure to keep voting for him," Desdemona said as she left. "He can't keep surviving, right?"

At the time, Keith was currently walking over the Riley.

"Hey, man, I just wanted to ask you something," Riley said as he spotted the small boy. "Are you the one who hurt Jojo?"

"No, I am not," Keith replied.

"Kay, just checking," Riley said before curling up and going to sleep.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I'm not too worried about Pamela. She's still going to vote for Keith; it's the others who seem less certain.

**Pamela-**I don't know what Keith's trick is, but I'm not stopping anytime soon. I'm going to beat him in every challenge we face, and if that means going all the way to the final two with him and beating him there, so be it.

**Riley-**I don't think Keith did it…if he did he would have said something, right? It was probably Pamela, she's mean.

* * *

"Howdy, campers!" Chris exclaimed as he arrived at the camp. "The eight of you should be proud. You've outlasted twelve of your rivals and have made it to quite the milestone. And what nice symmetry too, four boys and four girls."

"All jerks," Pamela added.

"So, let me ask you, are you getting tired of scavenging for food?" Chris asked.

"That's a stupid question," Calvin scoffed. "Obviously."

"Yeah, I don't think we can last much longer on shellfish and berries," Chelsea remarked.

"Well, then this is just the challenge for you," Chris exclaimed. "But before I explain, why don't you follow me?"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I'd be surprised if I _didn't_ make it this far. I may not be a super athlete, but I am a survivor. I haven't let anything ruin my overall game, and I intend to keep it that way right to the end.

**Calvin-**This isn't exactly how I imagined the final eight turning out for me. I've got no strong allies, and the majority of the others are losers, freaks, and evil. But the important thing is that I made it, and I am not going to take this sitting down.

**Pamela-**I could care less about getting to the end. This game has been a very interesting experience for me, though. While I can see that perhaps not everyone deserves punishment, I stand firm that Keith deserves just that.

**Chelsea-**Well, these past couple of days have been tough, but I've managed to make it through. I think I should probably take Ilona's advice and avoid drama for the rest of the game, I've had enough stress in my life already.

**Riley-**Okay, I'm not going to say that I'm a master strategist, or a physical threat, or any kind of threat really, but…where was I going with this?

**Elijah-**The money would be nice, but I've already got the biggest prize out of this game. A golden girl called Desdemona…or Donna…I'm not sure what I should call her, really.

**Desdemona-**I'll admit, I haven't played a perfect game. However, I haven't stop fighting, even when the odds were against me. I think I've got a good shot now, but I can't stop now.

**Ilona-**I learned pretty early on that this summer wasn't going to go as smoothly as I had envisioned. I've made friends, but there are also some people who only want to cause trouble. I'm hoping that by the next couple of days we'll reach a peace, but that's not looking too likely sadly.

* * *

Chris guided the final eight to another part of the beach where eight small buildings were set up.

"Like I said, today's challenge is going to be about food," Chris said. "Inside each of these rooms is a small kitchen stocked with ingredients."

"Ooh, are we going to make ourselves some gourmet meals?" Chelsea asked eagerly.

"Not quite," Chris said. "You'll be cooking for a very special guest judge…"

At that minute a motorboat zoomed up to beach. A muscular man in a cook's outfit hopped out.

"…Chef," Chris announced.

"That's right," Chef exclaimed with a scowl. "And I'm still not happy about being shafted out of this season."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard your complaint," Chris said. "But isn't eating the food made by some unsanitary teenagers just as good?"

Chef eyed each of the contestants attentively.

"Alright, let me just say one thing," Chef barked. "I know food. So you maggots had better serve the best damn meal of my life, because I am not giving any easy passes."

"Well, any questions?" Chris asked.

"When do we get to eat?" Elijah asked.

"You may have some leftovers when Chef is done," Chris said.

"Will we be getting cookbooks or recipes?" Calvin asked.

"Nope, you'll have to make your own meals from scratch," Chris said.

"But I can't cook," Calvin protested.

"Well, then I guess you forfeit the challenge," Chris remarked.

"This is so unfair," Calvin grumbled.

"Now, get to work!" Chef boomed.

The eight campers, Calvin included, each ran into different kitchens.

"Looking forward to dinnertime?" Chris asked.

"Does my contract come with health insurance?" Chef asked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I swear, this entire show has been nothing but challenges meant to make me look ridiculous.

**Chelsea-**As I'm sure I've mentioned, Home Economics is just one of the many clubs that I excel in. I think this is a challenge I can really get into.

**Elijah-**Every girl likes a guy who will cook her dinner. Granted, I haven't had the best success with that, but I'm willing to give it another shot.

**Ilona-**I haven't had much experience cooking fancy, but sometimes simple is the best way to go.

**Riley-**Why would I ever cook? Fast food is so much easier.

* * *

(Chelsea)

The cheerleader stepped into a small room. The room may not have been large, but that didn't stop Chris from stuffing it was cupboards, counters, and a fridge.

"Okay, let's see what we've got," Chelsea remarked as she began rummaging through the cupboards. "Good, good, all the essentials, and some fun stuff too."

She began piling up the ingredients on the counter.

"Hm, what should I do with all this?" she asked herself. "I know, I'll give Chef a lovely cake."

She pulled out a large bowl and began pouring in multiple measures of ingredients.

"A little flour…a pinch of baking powder…a little bit of milk," Chelsea exclaimed as she dropped in exact measurements.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Chef isn't going to know what hit him with this cake.

* * *

(Calvin)

"Okay, how hard can this be?" Calvin said to himself as he entered the kitchen.

He began examining the containers stored in the cupboards.

"Okay…Oregano…is that good?" he mused as he held up a jar.

He opened it and smelled the contents.

"Okay, maybe if I want to make a chilli," he decided. "What else do they have?"

He held up several different boxes marked 'Flour,' Baking Soda,' and 'Baking Powder.'

"Well, these all look exactly the same," he muttered. "It's probably just different brand names or something."

He began searching through fridge next.

"Aha, I know what this is," he exclaimed as he noticed several vegetables. "Maybe I can make a pizza with this. Pizza is a manly meal."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I'm sure I can handle making pizza. I mean, a little of this, a little of that, and bam, it's done.

* * *

(Pamela)

Pamela walked with a clear purpose in her mind. She went straight to the fridge and searched through it. She pulled out an apple and put it down on the table.

"Done," she declared.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Sure, it might not look like much, but it'll be the most edible meal once I sabotage everyone else.

* * *

(Riley)

Riley had entered the kitchen and was curiously inspecting what ingredients he could find.

"Hm, cinnamon?" he muttered. "Sounds nice."

He took a pinch out and tasted it.

"Hm…hot," he remarked.

He moved onto sugar.

"Oh, sweet," he exclaimed. "So, logically, if I mix sugar with cinnamon, I'll get something that's spicy but sweet."

Riley shrugged as he dumped the contents of both containers into a bowl. He gave a couple of stirs until the two powders blended together. Riley took another sample taste.

"Okay, not bad," he noted. "What else can I add?"

He continued to search through the cupboards.

"Salt? Well, I know salted peanuts are better than the regular kind, so salt will make this taste better," he added a box of salt to the mixture. "Looking good."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**There's probably some mathematic formula for cooking or something. Like 'x' equals the amount of sugar and is double to sweetness…I don't have time to figure it out though, maybe I'll ask Briony after this over.

* * *

(Keith)

"What shall I make for the nice chef?" Keith asked himself.

He began sorting through the shelves. He grabbed a few cans and began tossing them about curiously.

"I can't just focus on one particular taste," he decided. "I'll need to give him a burst of flavour."

He turned to the fridge and began taking out some vegetables.

"This calls for a soup," he declared. "With a little bit of everything in it."

While Keith went to work, Pamela stealthily crept in. With her she held a pot that bore a small rough hole in its bottom. Pamela stuck to the ground and slinked over to Keith's counter. She swiped his pot and replaced it with hers.

"Heh, good luck with your soup now," she whispered to herself as she crept back out the door.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I feel like I can take it easy for this challenge. I panicked a bit yesterday, but now that I know what to expect, I can work my way into safety with or without immunity.

**Pamela-**Well, Keith is doomed, but why stop there? I've got no sympathy for the others, and I wouldn't mind winning immunity again.

* * *

(Desdemona)

Desdemona searched through the shelves as she tried to find something that stood out to her.

"Hm, do I want to risk baking?" she asked herself. "Better not, I might screw up on the measurements. Soup? Nah, that's too easy, Chef wouldn't be impressed."

Eventually, Desdemona found a bag that caught her attention on one of the bottom shelves.

"Pasta, it's perfect," she exclaimed. "It's not too tricky, but it's something interesting."

She poured the pasta into a pot and put it over the stove.

"Now, what else can I add?" she asked herself.

As she turned to grab some more cans, her draping dress ended up knocking over several cans. A white substance spilled all over her dress.

"Oh shoot!" she sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**In hindsight, it might have been a good idea to bring a change of clothes.

* * *

(Elijah)

Elijah didn't bother with the cupboards and instead went straight for the fridge.

"Okay, let's see what we've got," he said to himself.

He began throwing back a pile of vegetables. His collection consisted of peppers, carrots, zucchinis, and lettuce.

"I think I can make a nice salad plate out of this," he remarked.

He grabbed a knife and quickly began chopping the vegetables into pieces.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**Actual cooking leads to mistakes, but there's no way you can screw up simple vegetables.

* * *

(Ilona)

Ilona had pulled out some of the basic ingredients for baking. She had a sack of flour along with a box of baking powder and some salt.

"I think some classic biscuits are just the thing to win Chef over," she muttered as she mixed the ingredients into a bowl.

She soon had made a nice dough which she rolled out and began to divide into smaller pieces. She placed her biscuits on a pan and placed them into the oven.

"Hm, I should have time to make another batch," she remarked as she went back to mixing.

With her back turned, she didn't notice Pamela sliding through the door. Pamela slid over to the oven and twisted the dial to max heat. Just as she was about to leave, Ilona caught sight of her out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey!" she exclaimed.

"Time to go," Pamela remarked as she turned for the door.

"Get back here," Ilona shouted as she chased after her.

Pamela exited the building, but Ilona followed right after her. As she reached the sand, Ilona dived and tackled Pamela to the ground.

"What were you doing in there?" Ilona demanded. "You were trying to sabotage me...again, weren't you?"

"Duh," Pamela scoffed as she kicked Ilona off of her. "But don't act like you're Miss Perfect. Whatever happened to no more violence?"

"You'll have to forgive me, but I am not putting up with this anymore," Ilona said. "What have I done to you? What do you have against me?"

"Don't think you're special, I have against you the same thing I have against everyone else," Pamela declared. "Now, I've got more business to attend to."

"Oh no, I'm not letting you spread any more damage," Ilona said as she grabbed her wrist. "This team has been falling apart far too much for my liking. You're not going to be making it worse."

"Oh yes I am," Pamela countered as she tried in vain to break Ilona's grip.

"Look, I want to help you," Ilona said. "You've obviously got issues, why don't you talk to me?"

"I don't need any help from you," Pamela spat as she kicked sand up in Ilona's face.

She broke free and ran off into the woods. Ilona sighed and followed after her.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**I'm one of the only ones on the island with a level head on my shoulders. I'm trying my best to help everyone however I can, and that includes Pamela.

**Pamela-**I'm done talking to people. Sure, I'll accept that maybe there are some decent people out there, but that doesn't make me any less angry at all the vile creatures out there.

* * *

Chelsea was making good progress with her cake. She had mixed together a batter skillfully and was currently just looking for any last minute ingredients.

"Some mint could really make this cake perfect," she remarked. "Hmm…I don't see any though."

She turned to the door and called, "Oh, Chris!"

"What?" Chris asked in annoyance as he arrived.

"I was just wondering if you had any mint." Chelsea asked.

"If you don't see it, you don't get it," Chris said. "You'll have to do without it."

"Oh, that's fine," Chelsea said. "I happen to have a backup."

She returned to the cupboard.

"You see, if you mix pepper with lemon juice it actually does a pretty good job at emulating mint," Chelsea explained.

"That's nice," Chris said uninterested.

"Of course, the tricky part is getting the ratio just right," Chelsea continued to explain. "Too much pepper will ruin the flavour, but too much lemon juice and the sour taste starts to become noticeable."

"Just make sure it pleases Chef," Chris said as he left.

"Oh, that won't be a problem," Chelsea declared as she added her concoction to the mixture.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Being back in my element is just the kind of thing I needed to get back into my cheery mood.

* * *

(Calvin)

Calvin was working on his mixture for pizza dough.

"Okay, flour, that sounds about right," he said as he mixed in the white powder. "Now what?"

He scanned the other boxes he had lined up.

"Ah, yeast seems like a good choice," he tossed it a scoop of yeast. "And that should just about do it. Now, to get start on cutting the toppings."

He turned to the counter and began slicing some peppers and pineapples. He heard an unusual bubbling sound and turned around. He cried out in shock at what he saw. His dough mixture was overflowing with white goo that just seemed to keep on growing.

"No, get back in there," he ordered the goo as he tried to force in back into the bowl.

The white doughy mixture just continued to expand and pour out. Calvin grabbed a spoon and began slicing at it.

"Back, back!" he commanded. "Help!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**(covered in white dough) What did I tell you? This game is designed to ruin me.

* * *

(Riley)

Riley had just continued to dump ingredient after ingredient into his mixture. By now it just looked like a thick, soupy, brown mess. He took another of his frequent sample tastes.

"Ooh, that's what I call flavour," he exclaimed. "But I've probably still got some time to add a little more."

He began tossing aside boxes and jars as he searched for the perfect ingredient. Eventually he found just the think he needed.

"Ah, the god of deliciousness!" he exclaimed as he held up a bag of chocolate chips. "A little chocolate is sure to bring this ten up to an eleven."

He poured the entire bag into the soup. He gave it some more mixes and pulled up a long goopy strand.

"Absolute perfection," he declared.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**Chocolate makes everything better. It's the perfect final ingredient to my gourmet masterpiece.

* * *

(Keith)

Keith had managed to slice a large variety of vegetables and tossed them into a bowl.

"Now to get the broth cooking," he declared as he filled a pot with water and placed it over the stove.

He added a few pinches of spices and let it boil. He didn't notice that slowly the water was dripping out through a small hole. Instead he grabbed his bowl of vegetables and began spooning them into the pot.

"Let's see, just one more thing," he remarked as he went to the fridge.

He pulled out a bottle of milk and splashed some of it over the vegetables.

"Now it's just the waiting game," he said to himself.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I think I have a good shot at winning immunity this time around, but of course I'm not counting on it. I think I know just the target to leave today.

* * *

(Desdemona)

Desdemona had put together a tomato sauce for her pasta and was currently mixing it all together. However, she had also knocked over several more jars and containers and was now covered in multi-coloured splatters.

"Okay, this seems good," she declared. "Let's see how the noodles are doing."

She went over to the bubbling water where the noodles where cooking. As she leaned over, her sleeve dipped into the scalding water.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed as it burned her arm.

She recoiled, but ended up knocking over the pot. Noodles and boiling water splashed all over her dress.

"Hot, hot, hot!" she cried as she frantically panicked.

In her frenzy, she stumbled right into the tomato sauce. She fell to the floor as red paste poured down her neck.

"Perfect," she sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**(in her underwear) That could have gone better.

* * *

(Elijah)

The boy had skillfully sliced the vegetables into equal bits. He was now organizing them on a plate. He placed the lettuce on the plate then made a frame out of the zucchini bits. Finally he filled in the center with the carrots and peppers. When he was done, the platter was in the shape of a heart.

"That should do it," he declared.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**What do you think? Could it be more subtle?

* * *

(Ilona)

Ilona followed Pamela through the forest. The angry girl had returned to her favorite pastime of stabbing a tree with a sharp rock.

"Go away," Pamela ordered. "I'm not causing any trouble. Happy?"

"I think you need to ask yourself that question," Ilona said.

"Oh, don't go all Dr. Phil on me," Pamela scoffed. "I've been through hard stuff. I've got a story, but I'm done telling it to everyone who wants to know."

"Yeah, well, I've got a story too," Ilona said as she sat down.

"Don't care," Pamela said.

"I didn't think you would be," Ilona said. "But the gest of it is that I have been through hell. I've been alone fighting to survive in a world where no one wanted me."

"And let me guess, this story has a lovely happy ending?" Pamela snorted.

"I guess that depends on your definition of happy," Ilona said. "But I'll tell you this. I'm still alone, and I'm still fighting to survive. Just not as much as before."

"Yeah, right," Pamela scoffed. "If you'd been through anything like I've seen then you wouldn't be able to keep calm all the time."

"That's your problem," Ilona said. "You think that anger is the only way to expel all your suffering."

"And when would you suggest? Yoga? Meditation? Sorry, still no buying it," Pamela replied.

"I just think that you need a new mindset," Ilona said. "You haven't made it any secret that you think we're all despicable creature, yourself included."

"It's the harsh truth," Pamela said.

"Is it? Have you never met any decent people?" Ilona asked.

Pamela was silent.

"One," she breathed.

"So, there is hope then?" Ilona suggested. "The first step isn't about focusing on everyone negative, why don't you focus on this positive person? Why don't you strive to be more like them?"

Pamela remained silent. She kept her eyes down and seemed to be in deep thought.

"It's not easy," Pamela sighed. "Anger, hatred, aggression, it all comes so much more naturally."

"But if you work past that," Ilona said, "is there a Pamela who you could respect? Who truly is a good person."

"…Yes," Pamela sighed.

"Then you need to release her," Ilona said. "I understand that you've been through hardship, but it's time to move on. I'll leave you be for now."

As Ilona got up and left, Pamela called out one more word, "Keith…"

"I told you," Ilona said. "Stop focusing on the negative. I want you to forget Keith for now."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**Well, that was some hard work. I don't what Pamela's been through, but if it's anything like my ordeal then she's going to have a lot more work to do.

**Pamela-**I can't just let go of what Keith did…but I guess I could be a little less mean to the others…just a little.

* * *

(Chelsea)

DING! The oven sounded to announce its finished product. Chelsea slipped on some mitts and pulled out the golden cake.

"Ah, beautiful," she exclaimed. "I got this in the bag."

She placed the cake on a plate and carried it outside. The sun was just beginning to set and the sky was a warm pink.

"Oh, Chris, Chef, I'm done!" she exclaimed.

"Very good, Chelsea," Chris said. "Chef will judge your cake once everyone else finishes."

"She don't look like no cook," Chef remarked. "Where's the muscle? Where's the punch behind her?"

"I think you'll be surprised," Chelsea replied.

"Not likely," Chef scoffed.

* * *

(Calvin)

The entire room was filling up with oozing white dough. Calvin had climbed up onto the counter and was throwing whatever he could at the slop.

"Why won't you die!?" he cried.

It didn't take long for him to become completely engulfed by the living dough. As it continued to expand, the door burst right off. Calvin tumbled out into the sand, covered in goop.

"Uh, hi," he said.

"That's a fail," Chef remarked. "Every good cook knows that yeast should only be used in moderation."

"Thanks for the tip," Calvin sighed.

* * *

(Riley)

"Mm, this is so good," Riley exclaimed as he took yet another task of his repugnant concoction. "Chef is going to love this."

He decided that it was time to reveal it. However, as he moved to the door, he found that he could let go of the dish.

"Just one more taste," he said. "It's too good to waste it all on Chef."

That one more taste turned into five large tastes. Riley looked down at the know only half full bowl.

"Well, I think we all know where it goes from here," he remarked to the camera as he continued to gobble up the meal.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**(with brown stains on his face) Can you blame me? I've been out here with basically no food for months.

* * *

(Keith)

Keith hadn't been paying attention to how his soup was doing, so he hadn't realized that nearly all the broth had drained out. When he decided that the soup should be done, he was shocked to find that the pot was only full of wet vegetables.

"That's not good," he remarked. "But nothing I can do now but hope Chef won't mind."

He poured the vegetables back into a bowl and exited the kitchen.

"I made soup," he announced. "Or…something like that."

"This ain't soup," Chef scoffed as he inspected the meal. "All I see is soggy vegetables."

Riley emerged next with a very messy face.

"Riley, where's your dish?" Chris asked.

"Yeah…uh, no," Riley shrugged.

"Okay, then," Chris replied. "He's out."

* * *

(Desdemona)

Desdemona had taken off her outfit which had been burning her with scalding water.

"Well, I don't know how this could be any more embarrassing," she sighed. "I ruined my meal, I'm covered in crap, and I'm in my underwear."

She scooped what she could off of her and into a bowl.

"Well, it's still better than anything we ever saw Chef make in season one," she remarked.

She exited and waved at everyone.

"Hi, guys," she said with an embarrassed smile. "Don't ask. Just don't."

* * *

(Elijah)

Elijah was just straightening out his platter so it looked just right.

"Beautiful," he exclaimed he looked it over. "I just hope Chef agrees."

He picked up the plate and exited the kitchen.

"Whoa, Desdemona…you're looking hotter than usual," Elijah exclaimed.

"Well, I guess that was a compliment," Desdemona sighed. "And your meal seems to have turned out better than mine."

"You like it? I was thinking of you when I made it," Elijah declared.

"It's lovely," Desdemona said. "I just hope Chef doesn't get the wrong idea."

* * *

(Ilona)

Ilona had returned to her kitchen to find it filling with smoke.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed.

She quickly opened the oven but it was much too late. The biscuits were nothing but black crisps now.

"Pamela!" she cursed.

Ilona sighed as she picked up the tray and exited.

"What is wrong with you maggots?" Chef exclaimed. "Most of this stuff isn't even edible."

"Sorry, Chef," Ilona sighed with a shrug.

Pamela arrived lastly.

"Here," she said as she placed an apple in front of Chef.

"Well, it looks like this is all we're getting," Chris said. "Chef may now begin the taste testing."

Chef began with Pamela's apple.

"It's an apple," he declared.

"That's the idea," Pamela replied.

Chef moved onto Ilona's. He picked up a crisp and sniffed it. Then tossed it away.

"Next!" he barked.

Desdemona brought up her dish which was covered in her hair.

"Not even going to get close to that one," Chef remarked. "Next!"

Keith presented his former soup. Chef took a bite and seemed to consider it.

"Hm, without the soup…it's just not the same," Chef declared.

"Fair enough," Keith replied.

Elijah presented his plate.

"Hm, kinda prissy, don't ya think?" Chef said.

But he took a bite and seemed impressed.

"Well, you can't go wrong with vegetables," he remarked.

Elijah smirked triumphantly. Chef then walked over to Calvin and scooped a glob of dough off his head. He licked it then spat out.

"Nope," he declared.

Lastly he came up to Chelsea.

"Here you go Mr. Hatchet," Chelsea said.

"That's Chef Hatchet to you," Chef barked as he cut himself a piece of cake.

As soon as he took a bite his eyes lit up.

"Now that's what I call cake," he exclaimed.

Chelsea fist pumped in victory.

"Well, I think we have our winner," Chris declared.

"Hooray!" Chelsea cheered. "Say Chris can I keep the cake?"

"No, it's mine!" Chef exclaimed possessively.

"Chef, we talked about this," Chris scolded.

Reluctantly, Chef handed the cake over to Chelsea.

"Thanks," she said. "And now I'd like to share my cake with the seven other campers."

"Seriously?" Riley asked eagerly.

"Definitely," Chelsea replied. "Morale has been pretty sad around here, and I'll admit, I've contributed my share to that. So, I'd like to make it up to you guys and help brighten things up just a bit around here."

"That's very generous of you, Chelsea," Chris said, "but there's no need to win them over today, you're already immune. As for the rest of you, though, one of you is leaving tonight. I'll give you a chance to discuss and then it's time to vote."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**There's the old Chelsea.

**Desdemona-**Chelsea even shared with me. I don't think she was happy about it, but it's a start.

**Pamela-**I hope Chelsea doesn't think this makes up for her past behaviour…but I guess it is nice, and it is a very delicious cake.

**Riley-**(covered in cake stains) Chelsea is the best!

* * *

(Later)

Keith had his target in mind. Now, he just needed the votes. He eyed Calvin who was talking with Riley.

"Look, man, you're my last standing ally," Calvin said. "I need to know I can count on you."

"Definitely," Riley said. "Are we voting for Keith again?"

"Seems like the best bet," Calvin said. "There's still an alliance against him, we can ride off of that."

"Oh speaking of which…I need to go…somewhere completely unrelated," Riley said.

As soon as Riley left, Keith moved towards Calvin.

"You're not actually trusting him, are you?" Keith asked.

"I thought I told you not to talk to me," Calvin barked.

"Hey, I just want to give you a warning," Keith replied. "Riley is literally aligned with everyone else in the game. He just flips between whoever he feels like. Do you really want to go any deeper into the game with him? Sure you could get rid of me, but who's to say that he won't just flip on you and take you out next?"

"Sorry, but I trust him a hell of a lot more than I trust you," Calvin replied.

Riley had currently gone to meet with another one of his alliances. Desdemona was hosting yet another meeting.

"Riley, glad you could make it," Desdemona said. "It's the same old, same old, Keith goes. We've still got Pamela on our side, even if she isn't here right now."

"I don't know about that," Elijah said. "Can we trust Pamela? I'm pretty sure she spent the whole day causing trouble. Maybe she's the one we should be taking out."

"Not going to happen," Desdemona said. "Yet, at least. Riley, anything to add?"

"Nope, I'm good," Riley replied.

As Riley left this group, he found himself in another encounter. Someone grabbed him and pulled him into the bushes.

"Listen, tubby," Pamela said to him. "I heard your whole conversation, and I'm here to warn you that you do not want to vote for me, got it?!"

Riley nodded meekly.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**Wow, all this strategy business is making my head hurt. Some people say Keith, but other people say Pamela. This is just as bad as all that physical work I had to do.

**Pamela-**Hey, I'll try to be nice, but I'm not going to let anyone just vote me out. When I know I'm safe, then maybe I'll give it a shot.

* * *

Chelsea and Ilona were sitting together on the beach.

"So, who's the vote going towards today?" Chelsea asked.

"I'm thinking Calvin again," Ilona said. "I've managed to see some good in everyone I've spoken too, even Pamela showed a more innocent side of herself today. But Calvin won't back down. The only way out is to vote for him."

"Who are we talking about?" Keith asked. "Riley?"

"No, Calvin," Ilona replied. "You've seen how bad he is."

"Wait, why would we vote for Riley?" Chelsea asked.

"Well, because he's a backstabbing snake," Keith said. "Didn't you realize? He's in at least two other alliances. That's not the kind of guy I'd trust if I were you. Take my advice, vote him out now. He may not seem like a threat, but that's what makes him so dangerous."

"Really?" Chelsea said with interest.

"Forget it," Ilona said. "I'll worry about strategy when people like Calvin are out of the game."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Hm, if what Keith says is true, than I may be in trouble. With Riley, one of my adversaries might manage to take the majority away from me.

**Keith-**Now it's time for the hardest part of the day: The truth.

* * *

Desdemona found herself alone now, but it didn't last.

"Hey," Keith said as he swung upside from a tree. "What's up?"

"What makes you think you can even talk to me?" Desdemona scoffed. "Are you here to spread more lies about how you didn't hurt Jojo?"

"No, just the opposite," Keith said. "I'm here to tell you that I fully intended Jojo to get injured. It took a bit of taunting, and I can honestly say that I wasn't feeling good about it; but you'll agree that he had to go."

"And why are you just confessing all this?" Desdemona asked.

"Oh, make no mistake, if you tell anyone I'll deny it and turn you into the liar," Keith replied. "But I think you and I are on the same page about this sort of thing."

"I don't follow," Desdemona said dryly.

"Face it, you would have done the same thing," Keith replied.

"What?" Desdemona exclaimed.

"Go ahead, deny it," Keith said. "But you know it's true. If you were stuck in a corner, you would do whatever it took to survive. That's just how you and I work. And of course, Jojo was the perfect target, if he stayed he could bulldoze his way right to the end."

"Don't think that this means that I'm not voting for you," Desdemona said.

"But voting me out would be a mistake," Keith said. "I'm not the threat right now, you're against me, Calvin's against me, it's only a matter of time before the whole team is against me."

"Then who is the threat?" Desdemona asked.

"I think you know," Keith replied. "Riley. He'll flip on you and the worst time. You're alliance is going to crumble if you vote for me. Riley's going to align with the hot cheerleader who gave him cake, and who do you think her number one target is?"

"I'm done talking to you," Desdemona said as she turned to leave.

"Why do you target me?" Keith called. "It's not because you don't like me? It's not because you're against what I've done? It's because you know that strategically I'm a threat. Well, there's a bigger threat out there right now."

Desdemona kept walking.

"You're a lot like me," Keith called after her. "You're a strategist. Well, do what you do best: Strategize. Make the right decision."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Well, that was unexpected. But now I've got to decide who the threat truly is.

**Keith-**Desdemona has always been predictable, despite what she may think. She's willing to go to great lengths to survive, and I trust her to keep me for one more day.

* * *

Keith's last appointment was with Riley.

"Hey, buddy," Keith said to the lazy boy. "I just wanted to remind you to vote for that monster Pamela. We wouldn't want her breaking anyone else's legs right. Who knows, maybe you'd be next."

"That would be bad," Riley swallowed.

"Well, get rid of her and it's not a problem," Keith said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Riley-**So if I vote for Pamela, then she's going to be really mad and might hurt me. But if I keep her, then she still might hurt me. Oh, I don't like this.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

"Final eight," Chris greeted. "Soon to be final seven."

"Bring it on, Chris," Chelsea exclaimed.

"Easy for you to say, you're immune," Chris pointed out. "But I'll get on with it. First pinecone, Chelsea!"

Chelsea smiled and did a quick victory dance.

"Also safe, Ilona," Chris continued.

"Elijah."

"Desdemona."

"Pamela."

This just let Calvin, Keith, and Riley.

"Now, you three boys all could be leaving tonight," Chris said. "But it won't be…Calvin!"

Now it was down to Keith and Riley.

"Keith, this is becoming a bad habit," Chris said.

"Heard it before, I'm not afraid," Keith said smugly.

"Well, the final pinecone of the night goes to," Chris concluded, "…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Keith!"

"What did I tell you," Keith replied as he accepted his pinecone.

"Okay, thanks guys," Riley said as he got up and walked along the dock.

"You're not upset?" Chris asked.

"Nah, this challenge made me realize how much I miss things like food," Riley said. "Strategy and physical work…eh, not really my think."

"Well, then, so long!" Chris said as he launched Riley into the air. "And, final seven, once again congratulations on surviving another elimination. I'll see you tomorrow!"

* * *

**Votes:**

**Keith-**Nothing personal, Riley, you're just next in line.

**Ilona-**Why can't people see that Calvin is no good? With him gone this team might actually function.

**Chelsea-**This game is about more than just intuition, it's about strategy. And right now, Riley is the most strategic choice.

**Elijah-**I guess I ought to stick by my girl. Sorry, Keith, but you made a mistake by getting on her bad side.

**Pamela-**Keith, you suck, and no matter what Ilona says, I'm forgiving you.

**Calvin-**I'm not falling for any of your tricks Keith. It's time to go.

**Desdemona-**Oh, I'm probably going to regret this but…Riley.

**Riley-**This game is just too stressful for me. All I want to do is sleep and eat, and you know what, I can do that at Playa Des Losers, so I'm voting for me.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"Well, Riley lasted about twelve spots higher than I imagined," Chris remarked, "but he's gone now and he ain't coming back. Will Desdemona's choice bite her in the butt? Will Keith have to resort to more desperate measures? Will Pamela succeed in becoming a better person? Find out on the next Total…Drama…Stranded!"

_Author's Note: Riley was a character who I flipflopped over bringing back. For the plotline I wanted, I need a character who was completely out of it and had no moral standing point. The only other candidate was Esme, and between the two of them I think Riley was the more enjoyable one. _


	24. All That Glitters

_Author's Note: Hey, everyone. I forget to mention, but I've put up another poll. Let me know who you think is winning._

"Last time on Total Drama Stranded," Chris narrated, "we brought back our old friend, Chef. The final eight had to cook for him and this led to quite the disasters. Desdemona ended up spilling her meal all over herself, Riley just mixed whatever he could find, and Calvin ended up creating some sort of dough monstrosity. And that's not even including all the sabotaging Pamela did. Ilona finally got fed up with all the negative behaviour and tried to get Pamela to open up and stop acting so nasty. In the end, it pretty much came down between Elijah and Chelsea. Chelsea's cake was enough to win Chef over, though, and she gained immunity. Like every night, it was looking like Keith might finally go, but I think you've figured out how it works by now. Keith talked to everyone and pointed out that Riley could flip on any of the alliances. This was enough to get Chelsea and Desdemona on his side, and as on top of that, Riley also decided that he'd rather leave. Now we've got seven kids who all have their eyes on the prize. Who's going today? Can Keith manage to knock out someone else, or has his luck ran out? It could be anyone so get ready for another exciting episode of Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Battling Beaches' Camp)

Ilona was going for one of her frequent jogs. She ran through the sand and turned into the forest. As she went through her route she ran into someone. Pamela was sitting under a tree, twirling a rock in her fingers.

"Hi," Ilona greeted.

Pamela just looked up at her without responding.

"What are you doing?" Ilona asked.

"Well, I'm trying to resist the urge to punch someone in the face," Pamela declared as she clutched the stone in her hand. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

"I know it's hard at first, but this is the best path for you," Ilona said.

"It just bugs me…it really drives me crazy," Pamela sighed.

"What does?" Ilona asked. "Keith?"

"Not just Keith," Pamela replied. "But everyone like him. There are people even worse than him who never get what they actually deserve. I've accepted long ago that karma doesn't exist, or if it does, it is incredibly flawed."

"There are some things you just have to let go," Ilona said with a shrug.

"How you just say that so calmly?" Pamela asked. "Look at you, you're a good girl, you really are. So why is that you're the one who's had a horrible life? There are people out there who deserve punishment, but never get it."

"That's not your responsibility, though," Ilona said. "You can't let it weigh you down. I know it seems like there are only negatives in your life, but if you look past them you'll find just as many positives."

"Give me one example," Pamela scoffed skeptically.

"Well, why did you come to this island?" Ilona asked.

"Because I wanted to deliver some justice to people who I thought deserved it," Pamela declared bitterly.

"And already you've learned that not everyone is as bad as you think," Ilona pointed out. "Anything else?"

"I…I made a friend," Pamela said faintly.

"Now you've made two friends," Ilona declared as she held out her hand.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**I think Pamela is making good progress. Now if only I could get Calvin to simmer down.

**Pamela-**I guess Ilona isn't so bad. I mean, she's condescending and thinks she's all high and might…but she's also patient and caring.

* * *

Desdemona and Elijah were sitting together under some trees.

"Well, last night didn't exactly go as planned," Elijah sighed.

"Uh…yeah, I wasn't expecting that," Desdemona lied.

"Maybe we should just stop focusing on Keith," Elijah suggested. "I mean, he keeps surviving no matter what we do. Maybe we should just make sure that it's someone other than us who leaves."

"I don't think Keith is as invincible as he acts," Desdemona declared. "Look at the facts, to control the game he needs to control people like us. Soon enough he's going to come to a point where he's not going to have anyone on his side. And I just hope that I'll make it to that day so I can have the satisfaction of voting him out for good."

"If you say so," Elijah said. "You're the one with the brains…and the looks."

"Well, I can't argue with that," Desdemona replied. "Now we might as well call this meeting to an end. It's not like there's anything new to discuss."

The two split up and Desdemona walked back to the beach. It wasn't long before she was approached by Calvin.

"Hey, we need to talk," Calvin declared.

"What?" Desdemona asked. "Do you want me to lose my 'freakish' dress? Are my 'loser vibes' making you uncomfortable? What can I do for you, because you've done so much for me?"

"All true, but it's something else," Calvin said with a hint of shame. "I kinda…sorta…want to join your alliance."

"What?" Desdemona asked. "You want to join my alliance? Even though I'm a freak and loser and everything you hate?"

"Look, don't make this any harder than it already is," Calvin grumbled. "If I want to survive then I need some allies. No way am I working with Ilona, and it's not like she'd want me anyways. And Keith is just out of the question."

"Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events, then?" Desdemona said smugly.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Yesterday I lost my last remaining ally. I hate having to associate myself with someone like Desdemona, but my image has already been destroyed enough by this show. And if I win the big prize then that won't mean anything.

**Elijah-**I didn't really join this game to do strategy or anything. I'll leave that to Desdemona, I just want to enjoy the rest of my time here.

**Desdemona-**Well, I've come a long way from being nearly voted off to having control over Calvin of all people.

* * *

Elijah hummed a tune to himself as he paced through the forest. He stopped when he heard a noise coming from the trees. He looked up and found himself looking straight into Keith's face.

"Hey!" Keith exclaimed warmly as he hopped down from the tree. "So, what's happening?"

"Uh, nothing much," Elijah replied.

"Is your girlfriend still intent on getting me out?" Keith asked.

"Um, yeah, I think so," Elijah answered.

"That's a shame," Keith sighed. "But you don't want me out, do you?"

"Well," Elijah answered uneasily, "no offense, but—"

"Oh, say no more," Keith said. "I get it, I've been a shifty figure. I've been treating you people like puppets and then there was that whole disaster surrounding Jojo's accident. I can see why you might have something against me."

"Well, it's not like I hate you or anything," Elijah said. "You're just not the most trustworthy guy around here."

"Of course I'm not, that's you," Keith said.

"Huh?" Elijah exclaimed.

"You're the one who's loyal to a fault to Donna," Keith explained. "And I mean that, it _is_ a fault."

"So…you're criticizing me now?" Elijah asked.

"Ah, sorry, I definitely don't mean to be rude," Keith apologized. "I'm just trying to lend you a helping hand, because you're my buddy. You're my buddy, right?"

"Uh," Elijah tried to say.

"Of course you are," Keith answered for him. "And I just don't want to see you screw yourself over. What I'm saying is, this game is all about having a strong strategy. I have one, your girlfriend has one, you…don't. If you just keep following her, you know what's going to happen? Donna will stab you in the back and then, it's bye-bye one million dollars."

"Donna wouldn't do that!" Elijah exclaimed.

"Oh, I guess you're right," Keith remarked. "When the time comes, she'll probably just vote for herself so you can win instead. Wouldn't you do the same?"

Elijah opened his mouth.

"Don't answer that, it was rhetorical," Keith said. "Just think about what I said. I'm only trying to stop you from making a mistake."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**I am not going to backstab Donna, that's for sure. I'd like to think that she won't either…I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.

* * *

"You know, I've been thinking about this whole alliance thing," Desdemona said to Calvin. "I don't know if I want you in?"

"Isn't your entire alliance just dedicated to taking out Keith?" Calvin pointed out.

"Maybe, maybe not," Desdemona replied with an evil grin on her face. "The point is, if I wanted to, I could vote you out and still be standing strong."

"What are you getting at?" Calvin asked.

"Well, if you want me to keep you safe, the first thing I'm going to want is an apology," Desdemona said. "Say you're sorry for all the nasty things you said and did."

"What?! No way!" Calvin exclaimed. "I'm not sorry for any of that stuff."

"Hm, that wasn't quite the answer I wanted," Desdemona replied. "I guess Ilona will be getting her wish tonight."

"I don't have to deal with this," Calvin scoffed as he stormed off.

"Oh, but you do," Desdemona countered. "You need me and you know it."

Calvin stopped with an angry glare on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said barely audibly. "But I also want to say that you're not any better. You're just a bully too; it's just that you're finally getting power."

"That's crazy talk," Desdemona scoffed. "I'm not using power to abuse others like you did. All I wanted was a simple apology."

"You sure?" Calvin asked.

"Well, I wouldn't mind seeing you crawl through that puddle of mud," Desdemona suggested. "Do it or you're leaving."

"You see, that's exactly what I'm talking about!" Calvin exclaimed

"No, this is totally different," Desdemona argued. "It's not abusing power if the abusee deserves it."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I knew this would happen, I just knew this would happen. I show one sign of weakness and suddenly I'm at the mercy of another bully.

**Desdemona-**Look, I'm not saying bullying is good and I certainly wouldn't do this to one of the others, but Calvin deserves a little humility after everything he's said and done.

* * *

"What is going on here?" Ilona asked as she approached the two shouting teens.

Pamela followed behind her with an irritated look on her face.

"Ah, glad you're here," Calvin exclaimed. "You act like I'm the worst person ever, but look at this, Desdemona is telling me that if I don't obey her every order, than she'll vote me out. How is that not bullying?"

"Is this true, Desdemona?" Ilona asked. "What sorts of things have you been putting him through?"

"Oh nothing bad," Desdemona replied. "I just wanted him to crawl through that mud there…and maybe put some poison ivy down his pants."

"You see!" Calvin exclaimed. "She's just as bad as me. I was right to defend myself before!"

"Okay, did you ever thing that if you hadn't been so rude to begin with, you wouldn't be in this situation?" Ilona pointed out.

"Ha, that's right," Desdemona exclaimed.

"And you," Ilona said to Desdemona. "Have you tried being the better person and not treating Calvin like he treated others?"

"So, what you're saying is that everyone here is stuck in a cycle of violence?" Pamela pointed out. "Very uplifting."

"I'm not saying that!" Ilona exclaimed. "Look, I just want this cycle to end."

"Well, it doesn't look like you guys will be reaching a conclusion soon," Pamela said as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey everyone!" Chelsea called. "Come check out the shelter!"

Everyone looked at each other, then decided to see what Chelsea wanted. To their surprise, they found that Chelsea had made some changes to the outside of the shelter. The entire structure was coated with a variety of different coloured flowers.

"Do you like it?" Chelsea asked. "I thought the shelter looked a little dreary, so I spent the morning sprucing it up a bit."

"It's lovely," Ilona exclaimed.

"It's kind of girly," Calvin scoffed. "But whatever…it's nice enough."

"Well, I like it," Desdemona exclaimed. "You must have put a lot of work into it."

"I think it's worth it," Chelsea said. "It's like Ilona's been saying, we should be enjoying our last few days here. I just wanted to brighten up the mood."

"Very wise words, Chelsea," Keith said as he emerged from the forest. "And I love what you did to the shelter. That's sure to make me smile whenever I look at that."

"Thanks, Keith," Chelsea replied as Elijah arrived behind Keith.

The other boy gave a thumbs up with a large grin.

"Well, I think this is a very good lead to follow," Ilona declared. "Is it possible that we can just avoid any conflict for the rest of the day?"

Everyone turned to look at each other.

"Shouldn't be too hard," Keith said.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll try but I'm not promising anything," Pamela declared.

"I won't start anything, but I have nothing against fighting back," Calvin declared as he glared at Desdemona.

"Okay, okay, I'll take it easy," Desdemona declared. "I still don't think I was doing anything too bad."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**When people get angry, they tend to think less rationally. I found that out firsthand. So if I don't want anyone voting for me, I've got to make sure that they stay in positive moods.

**Ilona-**Sadly I have a feeling that this peace won't last long, but I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

**Pamela-**I wouldn't have chosen those flowers…but I suppose I should try to think something positive about them…um…I'll work on that.

**Calvin-**A world in complete peace would be great, but unfortunately that's not happening. I'll go along with Ilona's fantasy, but as soon as I find myself targeted again, I'm not holding back.

**Keith-**I'm glad that Chelsea is able to boost morale somewhat. Some…well, most of the drama has been my fault and I'd like for these guys to not have to suffer much more over the next few days. For the most part, they seem like good people.

* * *

"Greetings, campers!" Chris exclaimed as he arrived dramatically at the beach. "Once again let me congratulate you on making it this far. You're just six steps away from the grand prize of one million dollars…or if you don't make it that far, then at least there's always the hundred thousand dollar second prize."

"Which no one cares about," Desdemona pointed. "It's all or nothing for us."

"Just something to keep in mind," Chris said. "But tonight one of you will be leaving and not winning the prize. We've got an immunity challenge set up for you if you'll just follow me."

Chris led the campers around to the same part of the beach the last challenge had taken place at.

"We've taken down the kitchens from the last challenge," Chris explained. "To make way for this!"

He presented to them a large, pristine stage complete with red curtains.

"Oh no," Calvin groaned. "Chris, haven't we done enough of this stupid acting?"

"This time it isn't quite acting you'll be doing," Chris said. "I'm giving you the rest of the day to perfect whatever talent you might have. This evening we are having a talent show that will be judged by none other than…yours truly. The camper with the best talent will win immunity for tonight's elimination. Oh, and before I forget, I've left a crate of some basic supplies. It's nothing fancy, but if you want to make some notes for your performance, or something, you can find what you need here. Any questions? No? Begin!"

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**Yay, this was the challenge I was meant for. I can finally use my cheering to get myself immunity!

**Calvin-**Alright, I can do this. But I'll show them all what real talent looks like, none of that lame stuff.

**Elijah-**I used to envision myself singing a love song to the girl of my dreams. Well now's my chance, but I need to come up with the perfect song for Desdemona.

* * *

Elijah went to the crate that Chris had provided for them. He pulled out a notepad and pencil. With his tools, he sat down on the sand and began brainstorming ideas.

"Let's see, what's the word I want to describe Desdemona?" he asked himself as he scribbled out ideas.

"I see you're hard at work," Desdemona said as she approached him. "Might I ask what you're working on?"

"It's a song," Elijah answered. "Which I'll be dedicating to you."

"Oh, you are just too sweet," Desdemona said with a smile.

"What are you going to be doing?" Elijah asked.

"I think I can pull off a couple of magic tricks," Desdemona answered. "I planned to use them for my mystic persona, but they can still be useful here."

"Mind showing me what you got?" Elijah asked.

"No problem," Desdemona said as she revealed a deck of cards from her sleeve. "Pick a card."

Elijah reached into the deck and removed a Jack of Spades.

"Now, put it back," Desdemona said.

Elijah placed it back in the deck which Desdemona then started to shuffle.

"And voila!" Desdemona exclaimed as she pulled out the Nine of Clubs. "Was this your card?"

"No, sorry," Elijah answered.

"Are you sure?" Desdemona asked.

"Yeah, I had the Jack of Spades," Elijah told her.

"Well, that's odd," Desdemona said as she began searching through the deck for the card. "It should be in here somewhere."

"Why don't you tell me how that trick works?" Elijah suggested. "Maybe I can help you figure out what you did wrong."

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how the trick works," Desdemona confessed.

"Well, maybe you should leave that one out," Elijah suggested.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**I could have sworn I had that trick down. But…I guess I should probably work on it.

**Elijah-**Hm, I should probably leave that bit out of the song.

* * *

Chelsea had pulled out her signature baton again and was currently working on twirling and tossing it.

"Let's see," she thought to herself as she caught the baton. "Total Drama, it's a slam-ah, gotta win the money, it's sweet as honey…hm, nah, I don't think I like that."

She decided to work more on her choreography instead.

"And left and right, and turn!" she exclaimed. "I don't see why Desdemona had so much trouble with this sort of thing, it's pretty simple."

As Chelsea worked, she noticed Ilona doing something similar.

"Hey, Ilona, that's some pretty sweet dance moves you've got," Chelsea complimented.

"It's not dance," Ilona laughed. "I was actually working on a Taekwondo pattern."

"Really? Well, it looks good," Chelsea said. "Why don't you show me more of it?"

"Alright, well it starts to with a downward block and then an upward one," Ilona explained as she performed her moves. "Then jab left, jab right, turning kick!"

"Impressive!" Chelsea exclaimed. "Oh my gosh, I think I've been inspired to work that into my choreography."

Chelsea began mimicking Ilona's moves.

"Okay, block, jab, kick," she exclaimed. "And then a frontflip for good measure. What do you think?"

"Well, your technique could use some work," Ilona said. "But if you're just using it as part of your cheer, I'd say that it looks fine."

It was then that Ilona noticed Pamela grumbling and marching off on her own.

"Uh-oh, I wonder what's bugging her now," Ilona sighed.

"You've really seemed concerned over her these last couple of days," Chelsea remarked.

"She's a girl in need," Ilona remarked. "I'm just doing my best to help her out."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Forget this challenge. Sure, I won't sabotage anyone this time, but I'm not making a fool of myself pretending I have any 'talent.'

**Chelsea-**Ilona seems almost too good to be true. She's even helping Pamela. Maybe she's like an angel that came to spread peace.

* * *

Calvin rummaged through the crate to find what he was looking for. While it was mostly just papers and pencils, he eventually found something that interested him.

"This is what I'm talking about," Calvin exclaimed as he picked up several balls.

He began kicking one of them back and forth between his feet and eventually launched it up onto his head.

"Impressive," Keith exclaimed as he watched him.

"Do you not understand the words, 'Leave. Me. Alone'?" Calvin demanded to Keith.

"Well, if I leave you alone then you'll just go on hating me," Keith replied. "This way, I can at least show you that I'm not the heartless monster you seem to think I am."

"Tell that to Jojo," Calvin scoffed.

"Alright, fine, I happened to break your boyfriend's leg," Keith said. "Which, as I've reminded you, was a complete accident. But I've also tried to be a friend for you, haven't I?"

"You can't just act like that doesn't matter," Calvin scoffed again. "And—wait, 'boyfriend?!'"

"Friend who also happens to be a boy," Keith corrected himself. "It's quite a mouthful to say. Obviously the other gender has figured that out already, which is why you wouldn't have a problem with me saying that Ilona and Chelsea are girlfriends…as in girls who are also friends. This stubborn attitude you have is only going to keep you back. It'll stop people from wanting to be with you, and then it'll be all over for you."

"Shouldn't you be working on your talent?" Calvin changed the subject. "Even if it is something lame like…monologuing."

"Oh, I'd never do something so dull," Keith remarked. "No, I'll be writing and reciting poetry."

"Even worse," Calvin said under his breath. "Well shouldn't you get back to work on that then? Because I'd hate to have Ilona up in my face about how I shouldn't kick you in the balls."

"I don't think I'd enjoy that very much either," Keith said. "Very well, but I just want you to know, that I'm still here as your friend."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**(juggling his ball) I may not be as sporty as Jojo, but I've still gotten some experience playing different games.

* * *

"Hey, where are you going?" Ilona called after Pamela.

"What are you, my babysitter?" Pamela scoffed. "I don't need you to follow me around everyone second."

"Okay, sorry, but like I said, I'm your friend," Ilona said. "I'm here to help you, and you look upset right now."

"Nope, nothing's wrong," Pamela declared. "I just thought I'd go stand over here so I wasn't tempted to wreck things."

"Well, what's your talent?" Ilona asked.

"Haven't got one," Pamela declared.

"You mean you're not performing?" Ilona asked.

"Uh-uh," Pamela said. "I'd look ridiculous trying to dance or sing on that stage. I'll leave that to people like Miss Sunshine and Lover Boy."

"You've got to have some kind of talent," Ilona said.

"Nope," Ilona declared. "I was never into learning how to write or joining the dance club. I was never interested in all the things girls are supposed to do."

"Well, that doesn't mean that you don't have talent," Ilona said. "It just means you haven't tried searching for it."

"Look, I'm not in the mood for your pep talk," Pamela said. "I'm sure what you're saying has a lot of profound meaning, but I'm just not interested."

"Here," Ilona said as she handed her a notepad and pencil. "Try drawing."

"I told you, no thanks," Pamela declared.

"I'll leave if you're afraid of being embarrassed," Ilona said. "But give it a try, you might find some talent in you after all."

As Ilona left, Pamela picked up the pencil and began twirling it around curiously.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I'm not one of those girls who's gonna angst, 'Oh, I'm not talented, I'm so sad, love me!' I've accepted that these things just aren't for me.

**Ilona-**Well the good news is, I think Pamela has revealed another layer of herself. The downside is, she seems pretty negative too.

* * *

Desdemona was shuffling her cards as she tried to remember any more tricks she could pull off. She wasn't having much success.

"Okay, the three jacks go into the pile," she muttered to herself. "And then…voila! Nope, that's the Queen of Diamonds."

"Would you mind moving?" Chelsea called to her. "I'm trying to work on my cartwheels and you're kinda in my way."

Desdemona stepped aside and Chelsea flipped over her side along the sand.

"Hm, not bad," Desdemona commented. "But I don't know if I'd call it great."

"Oh, and I'm sure you've got something much better," Chelsea scoffed as she shook the sand out of her hair.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Desdemona said as she tried to shuffle the cards between her hands.

This didn't work out as well as she had hoped and she ended up just spraying them into her face.

"Yeah, I'd work on that if I were you," Chelsea said. "Because I still haven't forgotten what you did to Garfield, and I think it might be payback time soon."

"Whatever," Desdemona remarked as she left.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I can be civil, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to just forgive Donna for taking out Garfield. Her time will come eventually.

**Desdemona-**Oh, I'd like to show her up when the time to perform actually comes…but we all know that's not happening. Come on, you stupid cards, give me the Jack of Spades already!

* * *

Elijah was chewing on his pencil as he continued to work out verses to his song. He wrote down another line as more inspiration struck.

"How are you doing?" Desdemona asked with a hint of frustration.

"Not bad," Elijah said. "I'm still working on the draft here. I'm going to need to come up with some more concrete lyrics."

"Well I hope you at least win immunity, because it doesn't look like I'm going to be stopping any shows tonight," Desdemona sighed.

"I find that hard to believe," Elijah said with a smile. "I mean, you're Desdemona, you're the girl who quite literally sparkled with character."

"Well, that's nice," Desdemona said with a weak smile.

"I'm serious," Elijah said. "You're like a gem…a diamond."

An idea seemed to strike Elijah. He quickly began writing down several lines.

"Well, I'll leave you to that then," Desdemona said as she got up and continued to sort through her cards.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Elijah-**I think my song is really going to cheer up Donna, even if she doesn't win immunity.

* * *

Keith was also currently writing something down.

"How are you doing, Keith?" Ilona asked.

"Quite good," Keith replied. "I've decided to dedicate my poem to Chris, since there's nothing he loves more than himself. How come you're not working?"

"Oh, I've got my pattern down and memorized," Ilona declared. "I don't think I have to worry."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck," Keith said. "And by the way, great job at keeping the peace on the team."

"I haven't exactly done the best job," Ilona said with a sad smile.

"But you haven't given up," Keith remarked. "And you are making progress; this morning was a good example. I think if you keep it up, we'll actually all be able to get along."

"I hope so," Ilona said.

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**After spending time with Ilona, I've decided that she wouldn't break Jojo's leg. She has a lot of anger in her, but a lot of it is just expressing herself, not actually malevolence. And it obviously wasn't Calvin…I'm starting to think that it might have been Keith after all.

"Campers, are you ready to perform?" Chris exclaimed as the sun began to set.

"I am!" Chelsea cheered.

"I'm not," Pamela grumbled as she returned to the beach.

"Well, who's first?" Chris asked. "On second thought, why don't I tell you? Let's start with Ilona."

"Very well," Ilona said as she stepped onto the stage. "I will be performing a Taekwondo pattern."

Ilona quickly burst into movement. Quickly she moved her hands about and twisted her legs into several kicks. She turned from side to side as she ran through the movements.

"Hyuh!" she exclaimed as she concluded the movement.

"Very interesting," Chris said as he took notes. "You definitely put work into that, but let's see what else the others have. Calvin, you're up."

"I'll be doing some tricks with balls," Calvin declared as he pulled out several small balls.

He started by juggling them in the air, but then when on to bouncing them off of this feet. From there he launched them into the air and used his head to butt them into the audience.

"Ta-da!" he exclaimed.

"Also entertaining," Chris remarked. "This is going to be a tight contest. Pamela, you're up next."

"I don't have a talent," Pamela declared. "but…I did do these drawings."

She presented Chris with several sketches of the other campers.

"Whoa, those are great," Chelsea exclaimed. "That looks just like me."

"I don't know," Chris said. "They look kind of amateur to me."

"Whatever," Pamela scoffed.

"You know, this is her first time actually trying," Ilona pointed out.

"Good for her," Chris said, "but that doesn't change the fact that I'm just not impressed with these drawings. Next, let's see Chelsea."

"I've got a cheer prepared for all of you," Chelsea exclaimed as she hopped onto the stage with her baton. "Are you ready for this!?"

"Yes, yes, we're ready," Chris said.

"Okay!" Chelsea exclaimed. "Total Drama, it's a slam-ah! So don't bring you Gramma, and get ready to scram—ble!"

As Chelsea went through her cheer she performed a combination of choreography and martial art techniques.

"Ilona, Ilona, she's a work of art, she warms us all with her loving heart," Chelsea continued. "Keith, Keith, he's a ball, he proves that good things can be small! Calvin, Calvin, he's a cool guy, even if his expectations are a little high. Pamela, Pamela, while she seems tough, she's can actually be full of fluff."

"I don't approve of that line," Pamela grumbled.

Chelsea performed several gymnastic moves while tossing her baton into the air.

"Elijah, Elijah, he's the guy with lots of love, and hands out the olive branch like a peaceful dove!" Chelsea cheered. "Donna, Donna, she may be strange, but there's always hope that she'll change! Go, Total Drama Stranded!"

"I think feel more jeered than cheered," Desdemona remarked.

Chelsea was breathing heavily and sitting on the stage now.

"So, how'd I do?" she asked.

"That certainly was an exhilarating performance," Chris said. "And those rhymes were spot on. I think we may have a new leader."

Calvin scoffed at this.

"Moving on, though, Desdemona, what do you have for us?" Chris continued.

"I have prepared a magic act," Desdemona declared. "Behold, here is an ordinary deck."

She displayed her deck of cards.

"Now, I'll need someone to suggest a card for me to reveal," she said. "Anyone?"

"Jack of Spades," Chris said.

Desdemona cursed to herself.

"Alright, now watch," Desdemona exclaimed dramatically, "as I show you—Oh my God, look, a UFO!"

As everyone turned to look where Desdemona was pointing, she quickly began searching through the deck.

"I don't see anything," Chris said.

"What do you mean, it's right there," Desdemona said. "Oh, never mind…and look at this, the Jack of Spades!"

"Donna, that's the Jack of Clubs," Chris pointed out.

"Damn it!" Desdemona cursed.

"Yeah, next," Chris said, "how about Keith?"

"I think you'll like what I have," Keith said. "It's a poem, which I have titled, 'Ballad of The Chris.'"

"This isn't going to be one of those satire poems, is it?" Chris asked.

"Oh I assure you, the meaning behind this poem is totally genuine" Keith said.

"Very well," Chris said.

"Ahem," Keith began. "Eyes of pure oceans…hair the flows like the wind…the face that even angels envy."

"I'm liking this poem," Chris said.

"McClean…the name of a champion…a hero…a God," Keith read. "Chris…a single syllable that fills ears with warmth…glory…perfection…No mortal can compare…no human can dare bare the weight of the name…Chris McClean."

"Beautiful, just beautiful," Chris said as he wiped a tear away from his eye. "I think we may have a winner."

"Um, actually, Chris, I haven't gone yet," Elijah said.

"Oh, yes, yes, what's your lackluster talent?" Chris asked.

"I'll be singing a song that I wrote," Elijah said. "That I wrote for someone special."

"Me?" Chris asked.

"No, Donna," Elijah said.

"Oh," Chris sulked. "Fine, begin."

Elijah walked to the center of the stage and picked up a microphone.

"Before I begin, I'd just like to add the disclaimer that any relation to an actual song that was released days earlier is completely coincidental," Elijah said. "And quite ridiculous too, considering how I've been on an island for the past couple of months."

"Just get on with it," Chris ordered.

"She shines like a diamond," Elijah began with a rich, strong voice. "She shines like a diamond."

Desdemona found herself smiling as Elijah pointed to her.

"I found my light in a beautiful sea. She makes me so happy. It's you and I, you and I; and you're my diamond."

Elijah began to move around the stage but never took his eyes off of Desdemona.

"I knew we'd become one right away, oh right away. At first sight I felt the energy of sunrays. I saw the light in your eyes."

Desdemona showed true emotion as Elijah continued to pour his heart into the song.

Elijah's voice grew even more powerful as he sang, "So shine bright! When it's just you and I, you're beautiful like a diamond in the sky! Eye to eye, so alive, beautiful like a diamond in the sky!"

He hopped off the stage and began to move around Desdemona.

"She shines like a diamond, shines just like a diamond."

Desdemona found herself putting her hands on her heart.

"You're a shooting star I see, a vision of ecstasy. When I hold you, I feel so alive. You're beautiful like a diamond in the sky."

Elijah grabbed Desdemona and held her in his arms.

"So shine bright! When it's just you and I, you're beautiful like a diamond in the sky!"

His voice got softer as he repeated, "Like a diamond in the sky, diamond in the sky. She shines just like a diamond."

Desdemona pulled him into a loving kiss. Soon everyone was clapping for the two of them.

"Okay, that was pretty good," Chris said. "A little cheesy, but good."

"So who won?" Chelsea asked.

"Well, after careful deliberation I can safely say that the winner is," Chris announced. "…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Keith!"

"What?!" Desdemona exclaimed. "Did you hear Elijah? He was pouring his heart out."

"But Keith wrote a poem about me," Chris said. "I think that showed a little more effort than what Elijah came up with."

"Sorry, Elijah, I thought you were good," Keith said. "But I'm not going to turn down immunity."

"So no one may vote for Keith tonight," Chris explained. "But everyone else is fair game. I'll see you the Dock of Shame tonight."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**This is great. For once I don't have to fight to survive and can just let the chaos unfold on its own.

**Desdemona-**Oh that Chris is totally rigging this game!

**Pamela-**It is really, really, really hard to not jab a stick through Keith's eye.

* * *

"So, who do we vote for tonight?" Desdemona asked her alliance of Elijah and Pamela.

"Ilona is a physical threat," Elijah suggested.

"Oh no, you're not taking her out," Pamela exclaimed accusingly.

"I was just saying," Elijah said defensively.

"Don't try that on me, I heard what you said last night," Pamela exclaimed. " 'Keith isn't the problem, we should take out Pamela.'"

"That's not what I said," Elijah exclaimed.

"People, people, calm down!" Desdemona exclaimed.

"So, this is the alliance that I'm supposed to be a part of now?" Calvin asked as he arrived.

"Well, obviously we're not voting for Keith," Desdemona said to him. "Got any other bright idea?"

"I've got one," Ilona said as she stepped into the crowd with Chelsea following behind her. "We vote for Calvin."

"Haven't heard that before," Calvin said as he rolled his eyes.

"Look, Calvin, I've given you chances," Ilona said, "and maybe I should have tried harder, but I'm afraid it's too late for that. I think it's the best move to vote for him."

"Whoa, whoa, this is ridiculous," Calvin exclaimed. "Okay, yeah, I don't like most of you people and I'm not shy about showing it, but I'm not a threat like…Donna!"

"Hey!" Desdemona exclaimed.

"It's true," Calvin said. "Next to Keith, she's the biggest strategist on the island. She's the one we should be worried about."

"I'll get behind that," Chelsea exclaimed. "Because—"

"I know, I know, I used an idol on Garfield," Desdemona groaned. "But you can't be serious about keeping me over him."

"I wouldn't mind," Pamela said. "You both bug me, but between the two of you, you're the one who is more likely to take me out eventually."

Everyone seemed to have come to the same conclusion. Well, except Ilona, but she was just sighing in defeat.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**Well so much for that truce.

**Calvin-**Donna, you showed that you're as much as a bully as I was today. Sure it didn't seem like much, but that's how it always starts. I'm glad that you're leaving now.

**Desdemona-**Ugh, how am I going to get out of this one (she pauses in deep thought)…Hm, I think I might be able to survive, but I'm going to have to do something painful.

* * *

The crowd had left Desdemona and Elijah alone now.

"So, what are we going to do?" Elijah asked.

"I guess all we can do is vote for Calvin," Desdemona said. "And hope for the best."

The two split up, but once they were distanced, Desdemona hurried after the others. She quickly gathered them all together again.

"Look, you are making a mistake by voting for me," she exclaimed.

"Ugh, we don't want to hear you talk," Chelsea groaned.

"I'm not the strategist you think I am," Desdemona insisted. "My only strategy was act like some cuckoo fortune teller and hope that that would be enough to get me to the end. Ever since the merge, Elijah has been making all the calls."

"Really?" Chelsea exclaimed in surprise.

"That's ridiculous," Calvin scoffed. "Elijah is a dimwit. He couldn't strategize if his life depended on it."

"It's an act," Desdemona insisted. "He's smarter than he lets on. If you get rid of me, nothing will change, he'll keep it up. But if you keep me, then I'm done for."

"You seem pretty eager to tell us this," Pamela pointed out.

"Look, I know that I have a good chance at going," Desdemona said. "I don't see why I should protect his secret anymore."

"I thought you were like his girlfriend," Ilona pointed out.

Desdemona was silent for a bit before saying, "I don't feel that way about him. I was just able to see that he was smarter than everyone thought, and that maybe I could use him. If you take him out, the only chance I'll have at surviving is at immunity. Trust me, I am nowhere near as big a threat as he is."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Sorry, Elijah, I really do love you more than I thought possible, but I can't let anything get in the way of winning this. You've done so much for me already, now it's time for your final sacrifice.

**Keith-**Well, well, isn't this interesting.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

"Welcome Battling Beaches!" Chris exclaimed. "Can you taste that million dollars. You're closer than ever, but one of you will have to leave within the next few minutes."

Several campers shot glances between each other.

"Things seemed to be going nicely at first, but then you sort of fell apart again," Chris said. "What happened?"

"This game just doesn't allow truces to stick," Ilona sighed. "When you have to eliminate someone, you have to betray someone eventually."

"Well, let's get on with the people who are safe," Chris said. "For the first time in a while, Keith is not in the bottom two."

"That's the way it should be," Keith said as he accepted his pinecone.

"Also safe," Chris continued. "Ilona."

"Chelsea."

"Pamela."

This left Calvin, Desdemona, and Elijah. Desdemona kept her head down, Calvin looked stern, Elijah just had a neutral face.

"One of you three is going home," Chris said. "But I've got a pinecone for…Calvin!"

Elijah seemed to realize the hopeless situation he was in now. It was either going to be him or his girlfriend.

"Well, whatever happens I guess this is goodbye," Elijah said to her.

Desdemona didn't reply.

"The final pinecone of the night goes to," Chris concluded. "…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Desdemona."

"Well, that's a shame," Elijah sighed as he got up. "But I'm not too worried. I found the girl of my dreams, and I'll be cheering for you from Playa Des Losers."

"Heh…okay," Desdemona said awkwardly.

"Elijah, time to go," Chris said as he launched him into the sky. "As for the rest of you, welcome to the final six."

The six looked at each other, then headed back to their camp.

* * *

**Votes:**

**Calvin-**Elijah, a master schemer? I'm not buying it. So long, Donna.

**Elijah-**Calvin, you were my friend when this started but I've changed and you should too.

**Chelsea-**I don't like Donna…but if what she said is true, then maybe I should vote for Elijah. I can always take her out next time.

**Ilona-**Desdemona, whether you were lying or not, I do not respect your decision to betray your ally like that. If Calvin isn't going tonight then it should be you.

**Pamela-**I'm not buying that lie Desdemona sold us, but I do remember that Elijah wants me gone, so to me he's the bigger threat.

**Desdemona-**Elijah, you've been great and I am so, so, sorry for this. It's the only way.

**Keith-**So, you want your boyfriend gone, Donna? Fine, I'll help you with that.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"And we say goodbye to the loveable Elijah," Chris wrapped out. "At least he's happy. Now we're down to just six campers. And it looks like the females have taken over again, will we be seeing an all-female final four, or will Keith and Calvin pull through? Will more betrayals arise? And what challenges await the final six? Tune in next time to see more Total…Drama…Stranded!"

_Author's Note: And there goes Elijah...again. Bringing him back wasn't so much to develop his character (but that was part of it,) but more to give depth to Desdemona. I wanted to show a more tender, emotional side of her; but in the end, I wanted to show that she simply couldn't be trusted, even by her own boyfriend._


	25. Cabin On The Island

_Author's Note: Happy Thanksgiving everyone (even those of you not in Canada), what I'm thankful for is my many loyal and supportive readers!_

"Previously on Total Drama Stranded," Chris exclaimed, "the final seven had to show off their talents. We got to see some physical performances with Chelsea and Ilona; and then some simpler things from Keith and Pamela. Elijah finished off with a song for his beloved Desdemona. In the end, though, his composition simply couldn't match Keith's wonderful poem all about yours truly. With Keith say, the target bounced around until settling on Desdemona. She wasn't about to let herself off so easily, though, and threw Elijah under the bus. Elijah gained the most votes and had to leave the island. So, it's down to six now. Will Keith manage to keep the target off of himself? Will Desdemona manage to scheme her way to victory? Will Ilona's physical strength help her get ahead, or turn her into a target? Well, we've got another exciting episode, with another exciting elimination, on Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Battling Beaches' Camp)

It was another cloudy day on the island. While normally the sun would shining down on the sands, now all that was seen was gloomy clouds.

"Well, so much for summer," Calvin grumbled as he left behind the shelter.

The others soon had spread out over the gray beach. As Desdemona paced around camp, she noticed that she seemed to be getting the cold shoulder from everyone—even more so than usual. She sighed as she returned to her usual alliance meeting spot, though, now she was alone.

Over at another part of the forest, Ilona and Pamela were talking.

"It's a real shame that Elijah left," Ilona remarked. "I don't believe a word Donna said about him being some super mastermind."

"He wasn't great," Pamela grumbled. "But he was okay, and that's higher than most people can hope for. But you're right, Donna just stabbing him in the back like that was very heartless of her. This is exactly what I said would happen, people are willing to betray each other for a stupid prize."

"Good morning, Ilona," Chelsea greeted as she arrived. "Oh…hello, Pamela."

Pamela just rolled her eyes at her.

"Oh, stop it you two," Ilona scoffed. "I think you two would really make good friends if you put aside your silly grudges."

"Don't think so," Pamela snorted.

"Yeah, I can agree with that, she's mean," Chelsea added.

"Look, you two have really spent a lot of time pushing others away," Ilona pointed. "We're in the final six, don't you think you could at least try getting along?"

"I…suppose," Chelsea said. "Just don't do anything evil and we can be friends."

Pamela eyed her in return.

"I guess out of all my options here, you'll do," Pamela said. "But don't pat yourself on the back over that. There's not much competition."

"There doesn't it feel better to be coming together instead of tearing yourselves apart?" Ilona exclaimed.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Pamela scoffed.

"Look, I'm sorry we couldn't get along before, but if you're willing to give me a chance, I will too," Chelsea said.

"I'm not exactly a people person," Pamela remarked. "Like you couldn't guess, though."

"Well, if you ever need help with a makeover or something, I'm your girl," Chelsea said. "I mean, there's not much I could do out on this island…maybe give your hair a little work, which it desperately needs."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Pamela said as she got up. "Just don't get on my nerves and I'll call it even."

"You don't have to leave, Pamela," Ilona said.

"Nah, it's fine if you want to make everyone best friends, but I'd really rather just be alone," Pamela said as she left.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I want to make more friends, it's what I do. But let's look at who's left: Donna is a scheming snake, and Calvin tried to blackmail me. Pamela may be a bit of a jerk, but so far she's given me the least reasons to hate her.

**Pamela-**Chelsea's trying, I'll give her that, but she won't be losing her haughty attitude anytime soon. Whatever, I've got other people in my sights for now; I just won't worry about her.

**Ilona-**I think both girls are making progress. It's just a shame that it's taken them nearly two months to get this far.

* * *

"So, what we're you two talking about?" Chelsea asked once Pamela had left.

"We we're just saying that Donna went pretty far with betraying her boyfriend like that," Ilona explained.

"So she _was_ lying about that?" Chelsea exclaimed. "I thought she might be, but I didn't want to take the risk."

"It's clear that Donna is the liar here," Ilona remarked. "Elijah had his own issues, but I think all in all he was a decent guy."

"Well, that's a drag then," Chelsea sighed. "But at least we can vote out Donna tonight, then."

"What's that you say?" Keith exclaimed as he hopped down from a tree. "Vote out Donna? Good idea, I like it."

"Ah! Don't jump up at me like that!" Chelsea shouted in shock.

"Oops, sorry," Keith said. "But you girls were right, Donna needs to go. She's trouble and we can't let her take out anyone else."

"I'd say that the three of us are on straight path to the final three," Chelsea exclaimed. "I guess we could bring Pamela along with us too if she behaves."

"I don't know if you should trust Pamela," Keith said. "She's a monster, we've all seen it."

"She is not a monster," Ilona insisted. "She's just been through some tough times."

"She has a crazy vendetta against me," Keith insisted. "She keeps spreading lies about how evil I am. Sorry, but after Donna, she's next on my list."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**Pamela was pretty mean to Keith, but I think he might be overreacting just a bit. Deep down Pamela isn't so bad and I think she deserves to win as much as any of us.

**Keith-**Sorry, girls, but taking either of you to the final two with me would be suicide. I've already picked who I'll be bringing with me. Calvin. He may act tough, but I've seen him in the challenges and he's no superstar. On top of that, he could strategize to save his life. He's the perfect opponent to have in the finale.

**Chelsea-**It's probably just me, but I'm sensing something a little off about Keith. He seems so intent on taking out his personal enemies. Granted, Pamela is pretty bad, but from what Ilona's said, she doesn't deserve to be called a monster. Eh, it's probably nothing, but when it comes time for the final two, I'd definitely rather stick with Ilona.

* * *

Desdemona had left the forest and was again walking along the beach. She spotted Calvin sitting on the rocks.

"Well, hello there," she greeted as she sat down next to him.

"Get away from me, freak," Calvin hissed. "Haven't you infected me enough?"

"Okay, that lost its effect about two days after the merge," Desdemona scoffed. "It doesn't sound like anything more than a desperate boy trying to pretend that he's still in power."

"You take that back!" Calvin exclaimed.

"Why?" Desdemona retorted. "You know it's true."

Calvin sighed in defeat.

"Of course, I've got nothing against desperation," Desdemona continued. "I've been playing an uphill game since day one. I thought I had a chance with my alliance, but last night said otherwise. Now, here I am, basically alone."

"Are you getting somewhere with this?" Calvin sulked. "Because I still don't want to spend any time with you."

"What I'm getting at is that, as painful as it may be to admit, we need each other if we're going to survive," Desdemona declared. "Face it, we're probably two of the most hated people on the island and neither of us are athletes."

"Heh, no one's going to be voting me out," Calvin scoffed.

"Oh come on, we both know that you don't believe a word of that," Desdemona laughed dryly. "Now, you know what the only option is. We need to stick together. To the final two."

Desdemona held out her hand to shake. Calvin looked incredibly reluctant, but he still took her hand and shook it.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**There's a reason that I've made it this far, despite the odds being against me. It's because I'm a fighter, and I'm not gonna stop fighting this close.

**Calvin-**This season could not have gone worse. I mean, look at the amount of losers lined up for the finale. I thought Keith could have been cool, but he ruined that we he decided to take on Jojo. And if Chelsea was really the top cheerleader she presents herself, she wouldn't have let Jojo leave like that. No, I am the only one on this island that deserves to win and I intend to do just that.

* * *

From the sky came a low rumble.

"Are you kidding me?" Desdemona exclaimed.

It didn't take long for a drop of water to splash onto her nose. Then the downpour began.

"Ack, wet, wet, wet!" she cried as she scurried back to the shelter.

The others had the same idea and soon all six of them were huddled together in shelter. The wood still couldn't keep out all of the water, though, and soon drips began falling down onto them.

"Well, this sucks," Chelsea sighed.

"Do you think Chris will still have a challenge today?" Ilona asked.

"I sure hope not," Desdemona replied. "I'm absolutely drenched and I was only out there for a few seconds."

Another low rumble came from the sky. Then something landed in front of the shelter.

"What is it?" Calvin asked.

The machine flickered to life and showed an image of Chris.

"Not these again," Desdemona groaned. "I thought we were done with them."

The TV continued to flicker with static as if it wasn't working properly.

"Hel…cam…rs…" the TV Chris said between the static. "Ch…nge…go to…north…orest…cabin….areful…munity…estruct."

"Did anyone catch that?" Pamela asked.

Keith answered, "I think the last thing he said was—"

BOOM! The TV exploded.

"That," Keith said as he rubbed the soot off of his face.

"Well, it looks like we've got our challenge after all," Chelsea sighed. "It sounds like we're supposed to find some cabin."

"Are you sure?" Desdemona asked. "I'd hate to go out in this weather just to find that we completely misunderstood the challenge."

"I'm pretty sure I heard north of the forest," Ilona said.

"And knowing Chris he'd probably just eliminated anyone who didn't participate," Calvin added. "Of course, I wouldn't mind being the only one to show up."

"Oh no, I am winning this challenge," Pamela declared.

"We'll all go together," Ilona declared. "I'm sure we'll run into Chris soon enough and he'll explain everything."

So the six campers agreed to leave behind the shelter and journey into the forest. The rain hadn't let up in the slightest, though, so they moved quickly to the shelter of the trees. Although, they offered little shelter from the downpour and soon everyone was soaked all over again.

"This is disgusting," Chelsea sighed as mud splattered against her legs.

"You think you've got it bad," Desdemona scoffed. "You're not the one with this heavy dress weighing you down."

While Ilona remained silent, it was clear that she was in just as much discomfort. She was trembling with chill as water rolled along her skin.

"Ilona, are you okay?" Chelsea asked.

"I'm fine," Ilona insisted. "I've had to endure worse than this."

Keith was currently trying to swing between trees. However, he found that it was much harder now that they were incredibly slippery.

"Whoa!" he cried out as he slipped and fell into a muddy puddle. "Uh, I think I'll walk too."

He brushed himself off and joined up with the group. The six of them continued to trek north through the forest without coming across anything.

"It would be nice to give us some sort of sign or something," Desdemona sighed.

"When have these challenges ever been nice?" Chelsea remarked.

"So, what do you think the challenge is?" Keith asked.

"We don't even know if it is a challenge," Ilona said. "Maybe Chris just wanted to give us a cabin for this storm. I'm sure it wouldn't look very good if his final six all caught hypothermia."

"Well, just finding the cabin is challenge enough," Desdemona groaned. "Maybe he'll just give immunity to whoever arrives first?"

"You think so?" Calvin asked. "Out of my way, me first."

He shoved his way to the front of the group.

"I don't have the energy to care," Ilona sighed. "If that's the challenge, I'll just give it to you."

After much more slow trudging, the campers finally spotted something in the darkness.

"Look, I think something is just ahead," Keith exclaimed.

"Immunity is mine!" Calvin exclaimed as he charged forward.

However, he ended up slipping over a root and landing face first in the muddy ground.

"I'll be taking that immunity," Pamela said as she stepped over him.

The distant building was in fact a cabin. It looked to be well-built, yet completely uninhabited. Pamela grabbed the door and opened it.

"Hello? Chris?" she called.

She stepped into the dark room. Behind her, the others soon arrived. A muddy Calvin brought up the rear.

"Hello?!" Pamela called again. "I'd like my immunity now."

Chelsea managed to find a light switch against the wall and flicked it on. The room illuminated to show an ordinary sitting room. A large couch stood on a rug in the middle of the room. The walls had several nature-life photos on them, and there were a couple of doors leading to the rest of the cabin.

"Well, where's Chris?" Calvin asked.

"Maybe Ilona was right," Chelsea suggested. "Maybe Chris is just giving us something nice for once."

"But still, where is he?" Pamela asked. "You'd think he'd be here to gloat about it."

"Hey, if he's going to hand us a nice cabin to crash in, I'm not complaining," Calvin declared.

"For once," Pamela said under her breath.

"Wait a minute, guys!" Desdemona exclaimed. "I think I know what's going on here."

"And that would be?" Keith asked.

"Don't you see? Rainy weather, Chris is nowhere in sight, and a mysterious warning? This is the obligatory horror challenge," Desdemona declared. "Chris seems to love putting it right near the end. There's going to be some monster or killer somewhere that's going to terrorize whoever is dumb enough to do anything. Well, I'm staying right here."

"Hm, I think you may be onto something," Pamela said. "That does sound like Chris's style, but I don't think doing nothing is the answer."

"Then what is?" Desdemona asked.

"Well, I think we should find whatever's out there and take it down," Pamela declared.

"No," Desdemona exclaimed. "That's just the kind of attitude that'll get you eliminated first."

"Fine, whatever, I'll be the only one to win immunity," Pamela said as she headed for the door.

"Wait, I'll come with you," Ilona said, yet Pamela was already leaving.

"I think I'll follow them too," Keith said. "I work well in the wilderness, even if it is a little wet. I think I'll be able to get the drop on whatever Chris has for us."

"You people are all making huge mistakes," Desdemona insisted. "But whatever. If you want to hand immunity over to the people with any brains, go ahead."

"Well, challenge or not, I'm not going back out there," Chelsea declared. "What I would like to do is see if this room as a working bathroom."

"I'd settle for a warm bed," Calvin added.

Both of them left the main room. Now Desdemona was left alone. She shrugged to herself and sat down on the couch.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Desdemona-**Well, looks like I won't have to worry tonight. I gave everyone a clear warning about the challenge, but they're still going to throw it all away.

**Chelsea-**What's the worst that could happen from checking out a bathroom? I've been stuck out in the wild for too long without a nice shower.

**Calvin-**If this was a challenge then Chris would have said something. He probably just called it off because of the rain. Well, I'm taking this opportunity to actually get a good sleep.

**Pamela-**All those horror challenges were so obviously fake last time. If I see someone in a ghost sheet I'm not going to freak out, I'll punch them in the stomach.

**Ilona-**This is the kind of challenge that would really be easiest if we stuck together. Yet here we are, completely split up.

**Keith-**I think I've already succeeded in getting the target to Donna, but immunity wouldn't hurt.

* * *

(Outside)

The rain had led up slightly, but the weather was still quite unpleasant. The clouds didn't allow any sunlight to creep into the forest, so it might as well have been night. Pamela marched through the darkness with determination.

"Give me what you got, Chris," she challenged. "Your phony challenge isn't going to scare me."

Not too far behind her, Ilona was trying to catch up with her.

"Pamela, Pamela, we need to stick together!" Ilona called.

The girl looked around at her surroundings, but she couldn't make out Pamela anywhere. All she could see were blurry figures of trees through the rain.

"Where did that girl get to?" Ilona muttered to herself.

She kept moving in the direction she was headed, but ended up drifting farther away from Pamela. Soon the two girls were in separate parts of the woods.

Keith, meanwhile, had decided to stay put in a tree near the cabin.

"Whatever Chris has planned, I'll be ready," Keith declared to himself.

An eerie wind stirred throughout the forest. It emitted a sort of low moaning sound. Pamela was unfazed by the sound, but she paused when she thought she heard footsteps. She stood still and listened. The sound seemed to stop, but she could still sense a sort of presence nearby. She looked around her surroundings carefully. Then she heard the sound again. It was distant, but it didn't sound human, more like a large animal scampering. Then it stopped again. Pamela continued to glance through her environment, then she leaned down and grabbed a stick.

"It's going to take more than that to frighten me off," she scoffed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**So, Chris got some cheapo effects; big deal. If he expects that to be enough to send me running then he's got another thing coming.

**Ilona-**I really don't feel safe out here. I can't say for sure what it is, but I've got a really unpleasant feeling in my stomach.

* * *

(Inside)

Desdemona sat on the couch bored out of her mind. She tapped her fingers along the side of the seat mindlessly. She glanced around the room for any books or anything that she could use to entertain herself.

"This is worth the immunity," she told herself. "Everyone else is probably getting scared senseless right now."

Currently Chelsea had discovered a shiny clean bathroom.

"Oh, this is just super," she exclaimed as she looked around. "Hm…no bath or even a shower, but I'll take what I can get."

She turned to a mirror and recoiled in horror.

"I'm hideous!" she cried out as she looked at her reflection. "Is this some evil trick mirror or something?"

But it wasn't. Chelsea was just seeing her face that had become covered in dirt and was dripping wet.

"This won't do at all," she exclaimed.

She then turned on the sink and began splashing water on her face.

"If I'm going to win this thing, I should at least look nice," she muttered as she tried to wash off the dirt.

Meanwhile, Calvin had wandered upstairs.

"Let's see what Chris has left for us," he muttered as he climbed to the second storey.

As he walked down the hallway, he saw he heard some sort of furious whispering.

"Uh, is someone there?" he asked.

The sound stopped. However, out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a shadow move. He turned to face it, but only saw his own shadow against the wall. He turned away again, and once more thought he saw some movement. Yet there was nothing around him.

"Maybe this place has rats or something," he scoffed.

He tried a door and stepped into a room. It was a small bed room with a window covered with drapes and a bed in the corner.

"Score," he exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I don't care if it's actually the middle of the day. I've lost so much sleep out here and I need to catch up.

**Desdemona-**I can't let my boredom get the best of me. If go off exploring, I'll be grabbed by some masked murderer and dragged to a smug Chris.

* * *

(Keith)

Keith continued hanging from his tree as he waited for something to happen. The rain continued to fall around him and his hoodie was absorbing quite a bit of water.

"Come on, I'm waiting," he urged the atmosphere.

Then he heard a movement. He fixed his eyes on where it was coming from. Something was slowly starting to swing. He couldn't quite make it out, but it looked like a tree's branch was reaching out. Then he felt the branch he was sitting on start to sway.

"What the?" he exclaimed.

He tried to stand up, but wasn't fast enough. The branch wrapped itself around him like a snake. Soon he was being held upside down.

"I was seriously not expecting this," he exclaimed.

The tree seemed to grumble something to him as he began swinging him against the trunk of another tree.

"Hey cut it out," Keith complained as he was slammed against the rough bark.

The tree showed no intention of letting go, so Keith began struggling. The branch tightened on him, but he was able to squeeze out. He splattered into the muddy ground and tried to get back up. However, the next nearest tree reached out and began wrapping around his neck.

"Come on, let me go!" Keith cried.

* * *

(Ilona)

Ilona was walking slower now as she had gotten herself lost in the forest.

"Well, this is just swell," she sighed as she tried to get her bearings.

Her surroundings all looked like blurry silhouettes in the storm.

"I should probably turn back," she sighed. "But which way is back?"

Suddenly the ground started to shake.

"Huh?!" Ilona exclaimed as she tried to back up.

The grass split one as it continued to shake.

"What is going on?!" Ilona cried.

A slimy, rotting, green hand reached out of the crack and grabbed onto Ilona's ankle. She screamed shrilly and began kicking at the hand. The hand fought back and clawed at her leg. As she tried to break free, she thought she saw someone approaching.

"Help me!" she cried.

Yet she soon realized that the figure approaching her was not human. It walked slowly and unevenly. Once it came close enough, Ilona saw that it had the body of a human, yet it was green and rotting like that hand she just escaped. The monster grinned and horrifying smile at her. Ilona tried to turn away, but ended up sliding against the muddy ground. The zombie reached out and put its slimy arms around her shoulders.

"Let of me!" Ilona shrieked.

She tried to punch the creature, but her fist just when through the monster's chest without any effect. Ilona screamed again and used her other hand to deliver a chop to the monster's head. The head rolled right off its back. Ilona pulled her hand out of the monster's chest and tried to run away. However, she heard the sound of dozens of uneven footsteps. All around her she could see the silhouettes approaching, as well as more emerging from the ground.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**In all my life I have never been this scared.

* * *

(Pamela)

Pamela had heard the same creature return and disappear time and time again. Every time, she had tried to attack, only to find that whatever was stalking her had disappeared. After one such encounter, she paused to investigate the part of the forest where the sound had come from. She realized that many of the shrubs and vegetation had been trampled into the ground. Upon taking another look at it, she saw that it formed a gargantuan beast's footprint.

"Still not impressed," she sniffed. "Anyone can fake a big footprint."

She continued to walk and soon heard the sound again. She immediately turned around and charged with her stick in hand. Yet as usual, she only hit darkness. She then heard sound coming from the other side of her.

"Take this!" she cried as she charged again.

Still nothing. Yet the sound didn't stop. She could still hear something running fiercely around her. She backed up a bit and managed to make up something moving with wildly. It was a hulking figure and looked far from human. She kept her eyes on it and charged after it. However, she lost sight of the creature as it blended in with the shadows.

"Come on, come on out!" she called.

Lightning crashed through the sky. Pamela realized that she starting only a couple of feet away from the creature she had been trying to hunt. It looked like a savage wolf, yet it had a massive hulking body. It stood on its hind leg while its bulky arms led to two outstretched claws. Pamela threw her stick at the creature instantly. The wolf snapped it with its jaw.

"Okay, I'm scared!" Pamela exclaimed as she the wolf advanced on her.

* * *

(Calvin)

Calvin had crawled into the bed and was trying to get comfortable now. He wrapped himself in blankets, yet a chilling wind seemed to fill the room. He tossed around trying to get some warmth. Then he heard the harsh whispering again.

"Okay, whoever's doing that, cut it out!" Calvin exclaimed.

The whispering stopped, and Calvin returned to trying to sleep. But the whispering soon started up again. Calvin sighed and put his head under a pillow. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the sound. As the sound continued, the door slowly clicked and crept open. A shadow seemed to enter the room and approach the bed.

"Who's there!?" Calvin shouted angrily as he got up.

He stepped out of the bed and looked around the room. His door was open now, but there was no one there. He looked around and froze when he saw something in the corner. In the deepest shadows there seemed to be two menacing yellow eyes staring right at him. Calvin backed up and ran into the hall.

"I'm getting out of here," he exclaimed.

His first thought was to run back down the stairs. However, he saw a figure standing at the end of the hallway, blocking his path. Whoever it was, he was far too tall to be anyone from the cast. His form seemed to melt into the shadows as if he was wearing some draping cape. Calvin only had one way to turn. He frantically turned down the hallway and ran the opposite direction.

* * *

(Chelsea)

Chelsea had finished washing off her face as best as she could and was just putting some final touches to her hair.

"I guess that will do," she remarked.

However, when she looked down at the sink, she realized that it was starting to overflow.

"That's odd, is something blocking the drain?" she wondered.

She reached out and tried to turn knob off. The knob just snapped off though, and the facet began blasting out water into the sink. It quickly began spilling out and onto the floor. In incredible time the entire floor was damp and with the size of the room, it wouldn't take long for it all to flood. Chelsea ran to the door only to find that the lock wouldn't budge.

"Not good," she exclaimed.

She turned around to see that the water was showing no signs of slowing down.

"Let me out, let me out!" she cried as she pounded on the door. "Somebody let me out!"

* * *

(Desdemona)

Desdemona sat in the chair as the chaos happened around her. She could hear Calvin frantically running on the floor above her. She could hear Chelsea's desperate cries as she pounded on the door down the hall.

"Heh, everyone is a moron except for me," she chuckled to herself.

However, as soon as she had spoken shackles sprouted out of the seat and chained her wrists and ankles down to the couch. All the exits were shut with metal doors. The room began to transform from a cozy sitting room to a dank, dark torture chamber. The couch turned around to face the largest photo, which happened to be of a mountain. The image disappeared though and was replaced with that of a man wearing a frightening white mask.

"Hello, Donna," he greeted with a deep voice. "I'd like to play a game."

"I had to jinx it," Desdemona grumbled.

* * *

(Keith)

Keith had struggled and fought with the tree that held him prisoner. He was able to break free of the branch, but was severely out of breath. He tried to regain himself, but more branches reached out for him. He kept running, but was unable to keep up a fast pace. He leaned against a tree in exhaustion; however, like all the other trees, this one came to life and tried to wrap its branches around Keith. The boy quickly rolled out of the way.

"Okay, Keith, you've just got to find a place with no trees," he told himself.

He looked around at his surroundings.

"What am I talking about?" he exclaimed. "It's a forest; it's all trees!"

Just as he spoke, a vine laced around his ankle and pulled him up to another a tree.

"Uh, hi," he said.

The tree slapped him with its branch.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I've always spent so much time in the company of trees; I never thought they'd turn on me.

* * *

(Ilona)

Ilona was surrounded by approaching zombies. She tried to keep running, but this soon proved to be impossible. Hordes of the monster were coming at her from all directions. Hands reached out and grabbed every part of her body. She struggled, punched, and kicked but nothing would stop the attackers. Every time she broke off an arm, it would just continue to grab at her. More hands emerged from the ground and tripped her feet. She fell into the mud as the zombies swarmed around her. As they piled on top of her, one of them bit into her shoulder. She punched it off of her and began kicking off the others.

"Fine, if there's no easy way out of this, I'll have to do it the hard way!" Ilona exclaimed.

She began performing various skillful manoeuvers on the zombies. Every time one approached her, she launched it away. They were falling to pieces, but those pieces kept attacking. Ilona kicked them aside and tried to keep running.

* * *

(Pamela)

The wolf stepped towards Pamela and swiped at her. Pamela ducked just in time. The claw managed to slice a rip through her shirt, though. Pamela turned to sprint as fast as she could in the opposite direction. The wolf leapt over her and blocked her path. It swiped again and Pamela quickly hopped backwards. Once more, Pamela changed her direction and tried to run. The wolf lunged at her again. Pamela swerved to avoid colliding with it and didn't break her speed. Suddenly, she found herself stumbling downwards.

"Wha?!" She exclaimed as she tumbled right into the river.

As she washed through the water, she could see the wolf disappearing back into the shadows.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I'll tell you, that was not a man in a suit.

* * *

(Calvin)

Calvin scurried through multiple hallways. Despite the cabin's small appearance on the exterior, it seemed to contain plenty of space on the inside. Everywhere he turned, he saw some figure appear in the shadows, and the violent whispering only continued to grow. He was running out of breath, though, and couldn't keep running forever. He picked a door and rushed inside the room. He quickly shoved his body against the door to prevent anyone from getting inside. He soon collapsed against the door and began breathing heavily. However, his breath caught in his throat when he felt a cold, slender hand latch onto his shoulder. Calvin screamed a shrill cry and opened the door again. He was soon running through the halls all over again.

* * *

(Chelsea)

The water was rising dangerously fast in the bathroom. It was already up to Chelsea's knees.

"Come on, open this door!" Chelsea cried. "Please, I'm going to drown in here!"

It was then that Chelsea noticed there was something else in the water. Something large was swimming towards her. She couldn't be exactly sure what it was, but it appeared to be a large serpent.

"Let. Me. Out. Now!" she cried as she slammed her body against the door.

Eventually it burst open. She rolled to the ground as water flooded into the hall.

"I'm out!" Chelsea cheered.

However, she wasn't safe yet. Chelsea could now see that her guess was correct; a large white snake, with deadly eyes was glaring right at her.

"I'm gone!" Chelsea exclaimed as she dashed up the stairs.

The snake slithered after her with rapid speed. Soon it had wrapped itself around her ankles.

"Hey, get off of me!" Chelsea cried as she tried to shake it off.

She managed to slam its head against the banister which gave her enough time to make her way up the stairs. She didn't stop there though, she just kept running as fast as she could.

* * *

(Desdemona)

"We're going to play a game, Donna," the deep voice told her. "Do you like games?"

"Well, duh, I'm playing a pretty big game right now," Desdemona scoffed.

Suddenly a painful shock went through her body.

"I suggest you watch your mouth," the voice said. "Now, let's begin this game."

The shackles released Desdemona and a string with a key lowered in front of her.

"The rules are simple," the voice explained. "This key represents your freedom; if you take it, you will be free to go."

"Yeah, right, I'm not falling for that," Desdemona scoffed. "If I grab that key, there's going to be some horrible consequences."

Another painful jolt went through her.

"There will be horrible consequences if you _don't_ grab that key," the voice insisted.

Desdemona hopped out of the chair and crossed her arms.

"Ha, can't zap me if I'm not in the chair," she mocked. "So much for your precious game."

Suddenly, a blast of fire came down from the ceiling, just in front of Desdemona's face. When it vanished, the tip of her hat was burning. Desdemona licked her finger and put out the flame.

"Are you sure you want to risk it?" the voice asked her.

"Fine, I'll grab the stupid key," Desdemona said as she reached up.

As soon as she grabbed the key, it sent another painful shock through her arm.

"Ha, you didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?" the voice laughed evilly. "You've failed the first test."

"Oh, I knew that would happen," Desdemona cursed.

* * *

(Pamela)

Pamela had pulled herself out of the river and tried to regain herself. She knew that it wouldn't be long before the wolf found her again. She had to be ready.

"Let's see, what do I have to work with here?" she muttered to herself.

She saw various branches that had fallen to the ground, but kicked them all aside.

"Fat lot of good that did me last time," she scoffed.

Instead, she picked up an average sized rock. With it, she pulled herself up onto a nearby tree. She heard the familiar sound of the savage footsteps. She quickly positioned herself on the tree and waited. The footsteps grew louder and she could make out the large figure approaching. She lifted up her rock and prepared to throw it. The wolf lumbered toward her and she dropped down with the rock. The wolf reacted fast though, and grabbed her with one of its paws.

"Uh-oh," Pamela exclaimed as the wolf glared at her ferociously.

Pamela wasn't too stunned to launch her rock though. She threw the stone right between the wolf's eyes. The wolf winced and Pamela was able to break out of its grasp. She climbed up its arm and onto its back.

"Take this and this!" she exclaimed as she attempted to pound down on its head.

The wolf began to shake and struggle as it tried to knock her off. Pamela gripped onto the fur as she tried to hang on. However, she found that the fur began to peel off as she grabbed it. Curiously, she ripped off the patch of fur. Underneath it, she found a control stick that was marked, 'Manual Control.'

"Hm, interesting," she said as she gave it a pull.

The wolf immediately turned in the direction she guided it.

"Very interesting," she said with a mischievously grin.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**I've flown a freaking helicopter, I think I can handle Wolfie here.

* * *

(Ilona)

Once more, Ilona was getting outnumbered. No matter how much she fought back, more and more zombies would approach her. Too many were grabbing all over her. She couldn't keep holding them off and she was starting to get weighed down.

"Get off of me," she moaned as she was pulled down into the dirt again.

She couldn't use her arms or legs, too many of them were holding her down.

"Out of my way, you disgusting goons!" Pamela exclaimed as she arrived on top of the robotic wolf.

With a quick motion of the controller, the wolf began slapping aside the zombies with its claws. Soon Pamela had cleared them all away and unveiled Ilona.

"Ilona, hop on," Pamela ordered.

"Pamela, what…what?" was all Ilona could manage.

"Let's worry about explanations when this is over," Pamela said. "Just get on for now."

Ilona pulled herself up the wolf's arm. As Pamela continued to guide the wolf back to the cabin, the trees around them came to life and began grasping at them with their branches.

"Move it, you monsters!" Pamela ordered as she had her wolf knocked them from side to side.

Suddenly, Keith slid between some of the trees and right in their path.

"Die, ghoul!" Pamela exclaimed as the wolf slapped him through the air.

"Pamela, that was Keith!" Ilona exclaimed.

"Your point being?" Pamela asked.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**So, Chris has expanded his budget a bit? These effects are certainly much more believable, but fake nonetheless.

* * *

Chelsea ran frantically through the halls. She glanced behind her, but didn't see any sign of the white snake. This didn't put her at ease, though; the snake could still be anywhere, ready to pounce. Chelsea looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. She noticed a stool placed against the wall and picked it up.

"Stay back, I'm armed!" she exclaimed.

She saw a shadow approaching from around the corner. Along with it, she heard the sound of something approaching.

"Oh no you don't!" she exclaimed as she slammed the stool down.

However, what she hit was none other than Calvin. The boy spun around dizzily then collapsed on the floor.

"Oops, sorry," she exclaimed.

Suddenly, she heard a rasp whispering. The shadows around her seemed to swirl on their own. She swung her stool around, but didn't hit anything. Then she saw a figure approaching her. She tried to swing her stool, but a slender hand grabbed it in mid-air.

"Who are you!?" Chelsea cried.

A young, blond man stepped out of the shadow. He wore a black cape and had a pale complexion.

"Hello, my name is Edward Cullen," he greeted.

Chelsea stared at him for a few seconds, then slammed the stool over his head.

"Monster!" she cried as she knocked the vampire out.

She looked at the two unconscious bodies lying on the floor.

"Hm, maybe I should do something about this," she muttered to herself.

However, she didn't get the chance, as at that instant a white serpent burst out of the floorboards.

"Yikes!" she cried.

She began running back the way she had come. The snake slithered after her. Chelsea dashed to the stairs, but the snake arrived first. It tangled itself around her body and the two of the tumbled down the steps.

* * *

(Desdemona)

"This is the true game," the voice told Desdemona. "The key has been placed inside this jar of ravenous leeches. If you really value your freedom, you will reach in and endure the pain to take it.

"No way!" Desdemona exclaimed.

"Don't make me shock you again," the voice threatened.

"I'm getting out of here," Desdemona declared as she tried to pry the metal door open.

"Stop that," the voice ordered as she a shock was sent through her fingers. "Ready to cooperate yet?"

"Nope," Desdemona said as she began kicking at the door.

"I told you to stop!" the voice boomed.

A hammer swung from the ceiling and knocked her back into the couch. The shackles returned around her arms and ankles.

"As you refuse to play the game, you have proven that you are not worthy of saving," the voice said. "Instead you shall stay imprisoned forever."

* * *

(Outside)

Pamela, Ilona, and the wolf had all arrived back at the cabin.

"It's time to show Chris who's boss," Pamela declared.

"Look, the door's been sealed," Ilona exclaimed.

"That's not a problem for wolfie," Pamela said as she grabbed the controls and moved the wolf forward.

With another swipe she smashed a hole through the wall. Inside she found Desdemona chained to a couch, while a masked man watch her through a frame.

"What?! No, this isn't supposed to happen!" the deep voiced man cried. "You are breaking the rules!"

"I'll break more than that!" Pamela exclaimed as her wolf smashed through the glass frame.

She pulled out the man who's masked has been knocked off now. He was revealed to be the one and only, Chris McClean.

"Alright, Chris, I finished your pathetic challenge," Pamela declared.

"So, this was a challenge?" Ilona exclaimed. "I was terrified out of my wits."

"That's the idea," Chris said with a smug grin. "With our new technology it was so much fun terrorizing you guys."

"But I won, right?" Pamela said.

"Well, technically the winner was supposed to be the one who defeated their monster first," Chris said. "You didn't exactly do that."

Pamela tightened the wolf's grip.

"But I'm sure it's close enough," Chris said. "Congratulations, Pamela."

* * *

(Later)

All of the robotics had been shut down and the campers had all been gathered up. Even the weather was starting to clear up to reveal a sunset.

"Well, that was certainly an amusing challenge," Chris remarked.

"More like traumatic," Chelsea exclaimed. "I could have died."

"No, that's just what we wanted you to think," Chris declared. "You were in no real harm."

"Ahem," Calvin said as he pointed to a large bump on his head.

"Correction, you were in no real harm from the monsters," Chris said. "I can't be responsible for the other campers' actions."

"You sent electricity through my body," Desdemona accused.

"Oh, doctors say it doesn't so any real damage in small doses," Chris scoffed. "Anyways, Pamela has won immunity, so the rest of you are up for voting. Pick your least favorite camper and send them home."

"Aren't we going to be given some time to head back to camp and strategize?" Keith asked.

"No," Chris said. "We've wasted enough time with this challenge, and it's going to take even longer walking back. "You will make your votes immediately, without discussion, without strategy. Then it's off to the Dock of Shame."

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

It was deep night now and the six campers stood on the dock impatiently. Many of them were still incredibly shaken by the past events. Calvin shivered with every shadow he saw, and Ilona would glance around every time she heard a noise.

"Okay, let's get this elimination over with so you can all get on to your nightmare-filled dreams," Chris said. "The first pinecone goes to our immunity winner, Pamela!"

Pamela grabbed her pinecone and crushed it.

"I've also got one for Chelsea," Chris continued.

"Calvin."

"Ilona."

This left Desdemona and Keith.

"Now, you two have both been playing risky games lately," Chris said. "But tonight one of you comes to the end."

"That's going to be you," Keith said to Desdemona.

"Fat chance," Desdemona scoffed.

"The final pinecone of the night goes to," Chris finished, "…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Keith."

"Seriously!" Desdemona cried.

"Sorry, Donna, but that's what you get for being mean," Chelsea said.

"No, that's what I get for being strategic," Desdemona scoffed. "Face it, I played the best game out of all of you, and you just couldn't stand that I just might outsmart you sooner or later."

"Are you almost done?" Chris asked.

"I'd just like to say best of luck to Keith," Desdemona declared.

"Um, what?" Calvin asked. "I thought you guys were enemies."

"Oh yeah, arch-enemies," Desdemona declared. "But he's the only person here who could match my skill level, and for that, he's the only one who deserves to win."

"Well, Desdemona, it's time to do," Chris said as he guided her down the dock. "You may not have been a real prophet, but most of your prophecies still came true. Including this one, so long!"

With that, Desdemona was launched into the sky.

"Well, she was certainly something different," Chris said. "But now it's just the five of you. You've made it far, and you're closer than ever. Best of luck; you may return to your camp."

* * *

**Votes:**

**Desdemona-**Keith. I've made it more than clear enough that he's a threat. I just hope the others see it too.

**Chelsea-**Sorry, Desdemona, you never made any effort to be friends, you always valued your strategy more. Well, see where that gets you.

**Calvin-**Keith, I'm not letting this go.

**Ilona-**Donna, I value honour, and last night you proved that you have none.

**Keith-**It's been fun, Des, but it's gone on too long.

**Pamela-**Hm, who to vote for? I've voted for Keith nearly every time and he still evades elimination. This time, I'm going to vote for someone who might actually leave and is really no better than Keith. That's you Donna!

* * *

(Conclusion)

"Let's take a moment to once again thank our excellent robotics team," Chris said. "They really can think of anything."

"Your Iced Tea, sir," the Edward Cullen Bot said as he brought Chris as drink.

"Ah, thank you, servant," Chris said as he took the drink. "So, we've reached the final five!" "With no more allies left, does Calvin have a hope to survive. Are Chelsea and Ilona catching onto Keith's more diabolical side? Who will fall next in the race for one million dollars? Find out on the next Total…Drama…Stranded!"

_Author's Note: Desdemona/Donna was my favorite pick early one, and although she's lost my number one spot, she's still high on my list. She and Keith were good counterparts, I felt. Both were strategists that were willing to do whatever it took to get themselves ahead, but the key differences was Keith had a lot more success. She was always capable of finding some way out of elimination, though, which is why I thought it was fitting she should go in a scenario where she wasn't given the chance to strategize._


	26. PainBall

"Welcome, valued viewers, to another superior episode of Total Drama Stranded!" Chris exclaimed. "It's been a long, hard run for the campers, but at this point five of them have persevered and survived past any others. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you our final five!"

Chris paused for dramatic effect as he threw his hands into the air.

"First, there's Pamela!" Chris exclaimed as the screen to show a montage of Pamela's best moments. "This girl has a lot of anger in her soul and she isn't shy about showing it. She came to this show just to spread a little misery to the people she deemed selfish, yet she got more than she bargained for with a few friends. Over time, we got to see more of Pamela's vulnerable side, as well as a potential to be a bit nicer at times. This doesn't mean that she's anywhere near tranquil, though, and she's still bringing a strong passion as she tries to win this game."

The screen then switches to show Chelsea's moments.

"Next, we have the cheerleader, Chelsea!" Chris said. "This girl took the role of leader on her team, and tried her best to keep everyone's spirits up. However, her own morale took a blow when she lost the boy of her dreams to her best friend. She proved that she had quite the temper to match her normally friendly form. While Matilda became a casualty of Chelsea's wrath, our cheerleader was still able to regain herself thanks to Ilona. Chelsea's confidence is back in place and she's got her eye on the prize."

The screen then turns to show Calvin's scenes.

"Ah, now we come to Calvin, the alpha male bully," Chris said. "He tried to take power in his team by tormenting those he saw beneath him. Calvin's justification was that anyone could turn on him if given the chance, he was just striking first. Whether he was right or not, he must have been doing something right since he's managed to make it this far. Now the question is, can he make it all the way to the end?"

The next to be shown all feature Ilona.

"Fourthly, we've got the true fighter, Ilona," Chris explained. "Ilona had a hard life, but because of this she has a strong sense of morals and strong physical abilities. She took up a role as leader and protector for her team, leading to much conflict with Calvin. Ilona hasn't shown any signs of backing down, though, and has always offered a helping hand to everyone else on the island. Now, it's time she starts looking out for number one if she wants to snag that prize."

The screen finally switches to Keith.

"And lastly we come to Keith, the schemer," Chris concluded. "This boy started off friendly enough, yet always kept his distance from others. As we soon learned, he was not only physically distanced, but emotionally as well. He saw everyone with an object view and deciding who would be beneficial to keep and who to lose. By playing both sides he was able to have complete control on who left and who stayed…or at least, so he thought. He made the mistake of underestimating Pamela which caused him to lose his closest ally. And so, for the rest of the season, he and Pamela have been butting heads. Keith made more enemies as time went on, yet somehow always managed to stay one vote safer than the next guy. Keith has always managed to keep himself safe, despite difficult odds; can he do it all the way to the finale?"

The camera returns to Chris.

"Well, we've got another episode for you today," Chris said, "and at the end we'll down to four. Are you ready? Then get set for Total Drama Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays…**)

* * *

(Battling Beaches' Camp)

The weather had warmed up slightly since the last challenge, but there was still a chilly breeze blowing through the beach. Chelsea and Ilona were both chatting underneath a tree.

"Can you believe it, Ilona?!" Chelsea exclaimed. "We've made it all the way to the final five. This is so amazing!"

"It is," Ilona said. "And I think you've proved that you deserve to win."

"Well, so do you," Chelsea pointed out. "Of course, that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you."

"Of course not," Ilona said with a smile. "And I won't do the same for you."

"Final five, final five!" Chelsea began to cheer. "I've come so far and I feel so alive! Yay!"

Ilona then noticed Pamela walking by.

"Pamela, come join us!" she called.

"I'm not exactly in the mood to strategize," Pamela said.

"We're not strategizing, we're just celebrating," Chelsea told her.

"Come on," Ilona insisted. "You've made it so far, you should be enjoying the moment with some friends."

Pamela shot a quick glance at Chelsea before sighing and approaching the girls.

"I must say, you've really grown a lot of this time," Ilona said to Pamela.

"Do you really think that?" Pamela asked.

"Of course," Ilona exclaimed. "You've opened up and showed that there's so much more inside of you if then sheer hatred."

"I don't know if I've really done that," Pamela remarked.

"You have," Chelsea agreed. "When we started you were nothing but mean and spiteful. But now you're not…as much."

"It was never my intention to change," Pamela replied. "But I guess it has been for the best. I do feel somewhat less pained then when I came here."

"Good morning, girls," Keith exclaimed as he approached the group; he then added icily. "Hello, Pamela."

"Oh no, there is no way in hell that I am putting up with this little prick!" Pamela exclaimed.

"I had no intention in spending any time with you at all," Keith retorted. "Please leave me to my allies."

"Now hang on," Ilona exclaimed. "We can all get along here."

"No, I don't think we can," Keith replied.

"Yeah, if you'd rather have this rat as your friend, I'll just go," Pamela said as she stood.

"Wait a minute!" Ilona exclaimed. "Even if you two are incompatible, that doesn't mean that I can't be friends with both of you. Here, how about we split up?"

Ilona grabbed a stick and traced a line with herself and Keith on one side, and Chelsea and Pamela on the other side.

"There, I'll go with Keith and you two and stay together," Ilona explained.

No one but her looked particularly enthusiastic about the division, but none of them complained. Ilona and Keith walked off into the forest and left behind Pamela and Chelsea.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Ilona asked.

"Your new best friend needs to go," Keith declared. "I fail to see why you've taken to her like you have, but Pamela is a menace. I just don't think it's a good idea to bring her into the final four with us."

"And you think Calvin is any better?" Ilona scoffed.

"Calvin, isn't dangerous though," Keith insisted. "Sure, he talks tough, and when he's got his cronies he can do some damage, but he's flailing right now. As for Pamela…well, I don't think I need to remind you what she did to Jojo."

"Would you stop blaming that on her?" Ilona scoffed. "Pamela didn't do that. Pamela isn't some heartless demon. She's just a girl who has a lot of fire burning inside of her, nothing more."

"So, what you're saying is that you think that I did it?!" Keith exclaimed. "I just can't believe you would accuse me like that. I've been your friend, I thought that I had proved—"

"I didn't say anything," Ilona declared.

"Right, of course not," Keith said as he regained himself. "Well, I see I won't be changing your mind now. But I do strongly advise you to consider your options."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Ilona is being difficult, but if I can work over Chelsea and Calvin, then she shouldn't be a problem.

**Ilona-**Since day one, I've never fully trusted Keith. The fact remains that out of everyone here, he's the only one who I feel is keeping himself in secret. I don't know what this means, but I don't like it.

* * *

Chelsea and Pamela continued to stand by each other awkwardly.

"Sooo…what will you do with the money if you win?" Chelsea asked finally.

"I haven't really thought about it," Pamela admitted. "I never considered that I could actually win."

"Well, what about now?" Chelsea asked.

"I suppose it's possible," Pamela said. "One million dollars, or even the second prize of a hundred thousand dollars, would be very nice to have. But as always, my main goal is to make sure that it goes to someone worthy, for example, not Keith."

"Just tell me, what is so bad about Keith?" Chelsea said.

"I've told you time and time again," Pamela pointed out.

"I know, but I'll actually listen this time," Chelsea said.

"He's a liar, he's a sneak, he has no honour," Pamela insisted. "He controls people like puppets, and tosses them aside when he doesn't need them anymore. I know his type and I can see the way he's using all of you."

"Is it possible that you're wrong?" Chelsea suggested.

"That's exactly the kind of question that keeps Keith in the game," Pamela scoffed. "He thrives on your inability to turn against him. Well, whatever, I'm done talking to you."

"Wait," Chelsea called before Pamela could leave her. "You said you wanted someone worthy to win…so, would that include me?"

Pamela paused for a moment, then answered, "I don't know if you deserve it, but I would not mind seeing you win."

"I'll take it!" Chelsea exclaimed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**It is so frustrating that after all this time, Keith is still in the game, and he still has people who treat him like a friend. There's nothing more I can do; so I'll just hope that they come to their sense and until then, I'll do what I can to make Keith suffer.

**Chelsea-**I've been trying to keep my strategy cap on for a while now, and right now I'm really not sure whose side would be better to take. Keith or Pamela?

* * *

Calvin sat on a rock at the shore. He picked up a small stone and skipped it along the lake aimlessly. He looked out at the water in deep.

"Hey there!" Keith exclaimed as he sat down next to him.

"For the last time, get away from me!" Calvin exclaimed as he shoved Keith over.

"But I'm trying to be a good friend to you," Keith insisted as he got back up. "I want to help you get to into the finale with me."

Calvin got up and walked away from Keith. Keith followed.

"Look, you and I can take out Pamela, then we'll have half the game," Keith explained. "From there, it shouldn't be too hard to get Ilona out, then as long as one of us wins immunity, Chelsea is gone."

"And why would you want to help me?" Calvin asked. "I've figured out how your little mind works. You want something out of me."

"Face it, the two of us would get butchered if we went up against any of these girls," Keith pointed out. "Chances are the challenge will involve physical strength which I'm obviously lacking, and you could use a little work on too."

"Sorry, you're not my friend, and I don't trust you," Calvin declared as he turned away again. "I'm going to be getting myself to the end."

"And I'm just trying to help you," Keith insisted.

"I don't want your help!" Calvin snapped.

"But you _need _it!" Keith retorted in anger. "Do you think you'd have ever made it this far if I wasn't helping you every step of the way?"

"What are you talking about?" Calvin asked. "I didn't need—"

"Briony!" Keith exclaimed. "You made a fine ass of yourself as you broken that poor girl down. It would only take one extra vote to turn the tables on you though, mine! Yet I chose to help you instead."

"Pfft, Briony was a liability, anyone with a brain could have seen that," Calvin scoffed.

"Sasha!" Keith continued. "The girl that everyone loved, yet you treated her like she was some disease. You couldn't even count on your brainless thug to vote for her; instead it was up to me to lie to her and save you once again."

Calvin opened up his mouth, but Keith wasn't stopping now.

"Timothy!" he shouted. "I was the one to get his mask off finally. If I hadn't done that, how else could you have justified voting off a strong teammate? And let's face it, ever since the merge hit, I've been absorbing every vote that should have been directed at you. So don't tell me that you don't need my help, because if I hadn't been here you wouldn't have lasted a day!"

Calvin kept his eyes off of Keith.

"Just leave me alone, alright," Calvin said. "I never asked for your help, and I certainly don't want it. Maybe I could have been nicer, but I never lied, I never betrayed anyone. If you want to play like that, play for yourself!"

"What? Aren't you going to call me a freak and about how I deserve to be crushed beneath you?" Keith asked.

"What's the point?" Calvin sighed as he kept walking further away from Keith.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I'm all alone now; there's no one to elevate me up. It's time to face that I'm right back at the bottom. Well, I am not going to let myself be pushed over easy. The only thing to do now is play and play hard!

**Keith-**So Calvin wants to act like he's so high and mighty now? Fine, but when it comes time to vote I hope he realizes that I am his only chance if he wants to win.

* * *

"Campers!" Chris exclaimed from his helicopter.

The final five circled below the helicopter's shadow.

"Incoming!" he exclaimed.

"Seriously, how many TVs do you have?" Keith asked.

However, it wasn't a TV that fell from the helicopter. Chris actually hopped out of his seat and cannonballed to the ground.

"Tada!" he exclaimed. "So, the five of you have made it to a very special milestone. I mean, there's been milestones like ten and eight, but none has been as impressive as this. I think it's time for the five of you to reflect on your stay so far, and what the future holds. Just make a confessional and tell the audience your thoughts and making it this far."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**I think I've mostly pretty satisfied with my game. I did my best to keep my team together, and I managed to get all the way to the final five so far. I mean, if I could change anything I would wish that I all that drama between me and Matilda would have worked out nicer, but I'll admit I'm not perfect.

**Ilona-**I honestly didn't realize how much negativity takes root in this game. I suppose it's naïve to have thought that everyone could get along nicely, but somebody's got to take the stand for peace, right.

**Keith-**There's been challenges, but so far I've been able to overcome them. I understand this game better than anyone else in it and I know what it takes to win. I have no doubt that I'm making it to the finale, now I just need to make sure everything works out perfectly.

**Calvin-**There's no one on my side anymore, no one to impress, no one to carry me above the rest. I've got one shot to get ahead: immunity; and I am going to seize it.

**Pamela-**When I started this game my only intention was to spread as much misery as possible. Yet I met people who made me change my mind about the world. I'm not going to start singing about sunshine and lollipops anytime soon, but the world doesn't seem quite as dark anymore.

**Chelsea-**I've always had the intention of winning this game. I really don't think I've got anyone targeting me so it should be smooth sailing right to the end.

**Ilona-**I guess I'll have to accept that no matter how small the team gets, it's never going to be perfect bliss. Well, I can do my best to keep things as peaceful as possible, and I've still got my eye on the prize.

**Keith-**Even if I've hit a roadbump here, it's not the end of the world. I've still got Chelsea and Ilona on my side for now and that means that I'm still safe.

**Calvin-**I don't care what Keith says, the fact remains that I've gotten this far, and I intend to get myself right to the end.

**Pamela-**I think it's fair to say that I deserve to win. I don't want you to think I'm so greedy pig, but that money could still do a lot of good for me.

* * *

"Okay, you've got that done?" Chris asked. "Then it's time to get on with the challenge."

"What is today's challenge?" Chelsea asked.

"Today we're going to be doing something a little simpler," Chris said as he tossed a padded vest and paintball gun to each contestant. "Paintball."

"Sounds like the kind of challenge I can get behind," Pamela remarked as she twirled around her gun.

"The theme for challenge will be tactical warfare," Chris said. "The entire island has been renovated to feature blockades, trenches, tunnels, and barriers. You're task will be to make your way through will trying to attack your enemies. The key to victory is using your environment to your advantage, you can use these obstacles to retreat, or get the drop on one of your opponents."

"How do we know who wins, though?" Calvin asked.

"Each of your guns are loaded with different coloured paintballs," Chris explained. "Pamela, you get black, Calvin, you're violet, Ilona, orange, Chelsea, blue, and Keith, pink. You will get points for the amount of your paint that is on your opponents, but you will lose points for how much paint is on you. So, if you want to win, you're going to need to combine offense with defense."

"So, to get points, we do this?" Pamela asked as she fired a black ball into Keith's chest.

"Ow!" Keith exclaimed.

"Yes, that's it," Chris exclaimed. "Pamela has just earned her first point."

"So, we've already started?" Chelsea asked as she raised her gun readily.

"Yep, although, I suggest you take this time to position yourself first," Chris said. "So, then off you go! The winner of this challenge will be safe for tonight and will be secured a spot in the final four."

Pamela fired again at Keith, but this time he ducked. He ran into the forest and she chased after him. Calvin also followed suit, and soon Chelsea and Ilona were entering the woods.

"We should stick together," Chelsea said. "We can make sure at least one of us makes it to the next stage."

"Good idea," Ilona said.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**This is the kind of challenge I can use to get some payback on Keith. I've long since accepted that karma doesn't actually exist, but I can still make sure Keith gets some of his just desserts.

**Ilona-**Sadly, I don't think this is the kind of challenge I can enjoy much. I'll do my best to survived, but I'd just rather not be involved in such violence.

**Calvin-**This is it, if I don't win this, I'm toast. Well, I'd better show those losers what I'm made of.

* * *

(The Forest)

Keith scurried through the woods as Pamela chased after him. All around him, black paint splattered on trees, and several times he was hit in the back. He dared not retaliate, though, he knew that that would just be giving her the chance to do more damage.

"You're not getting away from me!" Pamela exclaimed as she fired twice more at him.

He was hit in the shoulder and the back of his leg. He cried out, but didn't stop running. Soon, the two of them saw what Chris meant about the obstacles. There were several walls situated throughout the forest. They didn't seem to form any particular path, though, and Keith could weave between them easily.

Meanwhile, not too far away, Calvin had positioned himself behind one of these walls. He held his gun as he peered over the corner. He spotted some movement and prepared to fire. Keith zipped by him quickly and he missed his chance to shoot. However, he was ready for Pamela.

"Surprise!" he exclaimed as he began pelting her all over.

Pamela was shocked at first and this allowed him to cover her with purple paint. Pamela quickly regained herself though and began firing in return.

"Out of my way!" she exclaimed as black paint splattered over Calvin's body.

Calvin reacted fast and ducked back behind the wall. Pamela took this chance to keep following after Keith. Calvin, however, hopped out on the other side and began blasting Pamela's back with purple paintballs.

"Hey!" Pamela exclaimed as she turned around and started firing again.

Calvin was getting more hits, though, and she soon realized that her best bet would be to take cover behind another one of the shelters. Once she was out of Calvin's target, she made her way in the same direction Keith was headed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I can't take on Pamela, but if I'm able to stay hidden and avoid her, I might be able to survive this challenge.

* * *

Chelsea and Ilona wandered together through the obstacle course that Chris had set up in the forest. The two of them kept their weapons raised and their eyes open for any oncoming attackers.

"Chelsea, look over here," Ilona exclaimed. "It's a trench. If we use it, we might gain the advantage over someone."

"Good thinking," Chelsea said as she hopped into the hole in the ground.

The two of them could just barely see over the edge of the ground. With the various walls set up everywhere, it was difficult to get a good view of their surroundings.

"Look, I think someone's coming," Chelsea exclaimed.

Both of them held their weapons up. Their victim turned out to be Pamela.

"Sorry, Pam!" Chelsea exclaimed as she began firing at her target.

"Oh, you're going to be sorry!" Pamela retorted as she dropped to the ground and began firing at Chelsea's head.

"Yikes!" Chelsea exclaimed as she dropped back down into the trench.

"Yeah, and stay down!" Pamela shouted.

Ilona had barely fired at all during the encounter, and none of her shots had hit Pamela.

"Well, I suppose that went pretty well," Ilona remarked as Pamela left their range.

The two girls continued to scout the land without coming across anyone.

"Say, Ilona, there's something I wanted to talk about," Chelsea said. "Have you nothing something…unusual about Keith?"

"Actually," Ilona began, "I was just thinking—Look out!"

Ilona shoved Chelsea out of the way as Calvin rolled into the trench.

"Take this!" Calvin exclaimed as he began firing at Ilona.

Several purple shots hit Ilona directly in the chest, but she soon retaliated. Paint was splattering in both directions of the small space. Chelsea had soon gotten back up and was now aiding Ilona in pelting Calvin. Both Ilona and Calvin moved from side to side, but it was clear that Calvin was taking more of the damage.

"Well, looks like it's time for me to go!" Calvin exclaimed as he hopped over the edge.

"After him!" Chelsea exclaimed as she hopped up too and began firing again.

A few of her blue shots hit Calvin in the back, but most ended up only hitting the many walls in her way. Calvin was eventually able to get himself safely out of her range.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**Well, that was a bit of a risk, but I think it paid off in the end.

* * *

Keith had managed to evade Pamela for now, but he knew that she would get back on his tail soon enough. He spotted a monument that Chris had set up. This one was built vertically, but had several platforms jutting out of it. Keith quickly climbed up to one of the platforms and positioned himself so he could see down, but it would be hard for anyone to spot him. As predicted, Pamela soon showed up.

"Gotcha now," Keith whispered.

He then dropped down behind her with his gun pointed out. Before he could fire, though, Pamela whirled around and grabbed the barrel of his gun and pointed it upwards.

"I'll take that," she said as she ripped it out of his feeble grip.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Keith complained as she kicked his gun away.

"Tough," Pamela said as she began firing at him again.

Keith was blasted several more times before he broke into a run. He swerved through the forest as Pamela chased after him. This time he tried as new tactic. He gripped onto a tree and tried to pull himself up. However, Pamela ended up shooting him in the arm and caused to stumble off and landed in a muddy puddle. Pamela wasted no time in covering him in black paint.

"Cut it out!" Keith cried desperately as he rolled out of the way.

"Sorry, this is what you get for everything you've done so far," Pamela scoffed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Great, I'm unarmed now, and this psycho girl won't leave me alone!

* * *

Chelsea and Ilona clung to the walls as the moved as stealthily as possible. Carefully they leapt from shelter to shelter.

"There he is," Ilona whispered as they spotted Calvin creeping around in the distance.

"I don't think he's spotted us yet," Chelsea said as she stuck to the back of the wall. "We're going to need a plan to take him on."

"Agreed," Ilona said. "I suggest divide and conquer. I'll distract him, and you get the drop on him."

"I like it," Chelsea said with a nod. "Let's go."

The two girls split up in different directions.

"Hey, Calvin, come on out!" Ilona exclaimed as she leapt to the wall she had last seen him hiding behind.

She spotted the boy and began firing at him, but he was ready for her. Both managed to do a fair amount of damage before Calvin rolled to another side of her. The new position allowed him to pelt her, without receiving any blows back from her. Ilona quickly turned her direction, but Calvin was prepared for this and hopped back to his original spot, all while covering Ilona with paint.

"Look out below!" Chelsea exclaimed as she dropped down from on top of one of the walls.

She was able to get a few shots at Calvin's back, but he rolled out of the way quickly.

"Two against one isn't fair," he remarked. "I'm outta here."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I've been on overdrive all day. If I let my guard down just once, those girls will take me out.

**Chelsea-**Maybe announcing my presence like that wasn't the best idea…heh, oops.

* * *

Keith was nearly completely covered in black paint now, but he still fled desperately from Pamela. He glanced around for any obstacle that he could use to defend himself, but instead decided to hide himself in some shrubs. He had barely hid himself in the bush when Pamela showed up.

"Hm, I wonder where Keith is?" she remarked tauntingly.

She then pointed her gun towards the bush and started firing.

"Why can't I catch a break!?" Keith cried as he fled once again.

He was able to pull ahead of Pamela again, and he knew that he would have to find a way to lose her. He realized that he was near the mountain now. Quickly he climbed up the rock wall and pulled himself up a ledge.

"This had better work," he sighed.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**I think I've already lost any chance for immunity, but those paintballs hurt, so I'd still rather not get bombarded with them.

* * *

Chelsea and Ilona were once again planning out their strategy.

"I think we should probably split up at this point," Ilona said. "One of us should try to find the other two."

"That makes sense," Chelsea agreed. "I'll do that job."

"Great, that leaves Calvin to me," Ilona declared.

The two girls smiled at each other, before heading off in their own directions. Chelsea went towards the mountain, while Ilona continued to follow after Keith's trail. She made sure she was always against one of the walls as she kept her eyes wide open for the boy. She eventually spotted him at the same time that he spotted her. Both of them had the same reaction to hide behind the nearest wall. Calvin moved first. He rolled around Ilona's wall and came up behind her. Ilona was expecting this though, and jumped out of the way before Calvin could hit her. She then began firing on Calvin. Only one of her shots managed to hit him though.

"Going to have to try harder than that," Calvin laughed as he fired at her and hit her several more times.

Ilona rolled to the side and took safety behind another barrier. She didn't wait long, though, as soon as Calvin moved towards her she hopped up and began blasting him. She tried to duck behind the wall again when Calvin raised his gun, but Calvin had anticipated this. He leapt backward and gave himself a good view of Ilona. He easily hit her several more times. The two continued to play cat and mouse like this, with both repeatedly trying to gain the advantage on the other.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Ilona-**If there's someone I have to be up against, I'm glad it's Calvin. He has been nothing but trouble to me and has never given me a chance to sympathize with him. I really don't feel remorseful for having to fight him.

* * *

Keith had scaled to a large ledge high up on the mountain. To his annoyance, though, he found that Pamela was climbing right after him. He jumped from ledge to ledge and continued to scale along the mountain. Pamela was gaining on him and fired at him from the distance of the ledges. She had yet to hit him, but Keith knew that he did not want to lose his balance from this high. Unknown to either of them, Chelsea was climbing up just behind Pamela.

"I'm going to get you!" Pamela shouted at Keith. "You haven't gotten nearly enough punishment yet."

"Your idea of justice is quite disturbing," Keith shouted back. "I've done nothing wrong."

"You can't seriously believe that," Pamela spat as she fired again and missed.

Keith found that he was running out of places to escape to. He had ended up just at the top of the waterfall by now. He looked back at the face of the mountain and figured that he could try climbing, but that would give Pamela a clear shot at him. It was too late anyways, Pamela had arrived at the same part of the mountain by now.

"Nowhere to hide now," Pamela remarked with a dark grin.

"You…You're ruining everything!" Keith shouted with rage.

"That's what I'm here for," Pamela replied smugly.

"Aaah!" Keith shouted as he charged at her.

He swung his arms feebly as he tried to attack her. Pamela was able to hold him back with only one arm.

"See ya," she exclaimed as she shoved him backwards.

Keith stumbled right over the edge of the cliff.

"Keith!" Chelsea cried as she arrived on the scene.

Pamela turned around in surprise to see Chelsea standing behind her.

"You could have hurt him!" she cried.

"He'll be fine," Pamela scoffed. "Just so long as he remembers his correct diving form."

Keith, however, did not seem to be assuming a swan form and instead ending up bellyflopping on the river water.

"Well, it's not nearly as far as the drop he put Jojo through," Pamela remarked.

Chelsea raised her weapon on Pamela and began to fire. Pamela was quick to return the gesture. Neither of them seemed to have any intention of dodging and just continued to pelt each other with paint.

"Attention, campers!" Chris's voice boomed. "The contest is now over. Any shots taken from here on out will not count. You may now return to the beach where a winner will be declared."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Calvin-**I think I came off pretty well, but I don't know how well the others did. I've just got to keep my fingers crossed.

**Keith-**(bruised) Ow, ow, ow. If the others don't see Pamela as a menace now, I don't know what will convince them.

**Pamela-**The only thing that would make this day any more satisfying would be seeing Keith go home.

* * *

(Battling Beaches' Camp)

The campers returned, all of them covered in paint.

"Greetings, campers," Chris exclaimed. "I see you were in full swing with today's challenge."

Ilona had a large amount of her body covered in purple paint. Chelsea didn't have as much as her, but she had her fair share of black paint mixed with the purple. Calvin had a mix of orange and blue scattered in different parts of his body. Pamela had a mix of every colour but orange covering her body. Keith looked incredibly dizzy and held his head in paint, he was absolutely drenched in black paint.

"So, who won?" Chelsea asked.

"Well, let's have a look," Chris said. "Not Keith, that's for sure. You're covered in paint, and I see barely any pink paint on anyone."

"That's because Pamela stole my gun," Keith accused.

"Well, that's poor military skills on your part," Chris remarked. "Anyways, Chelsea and Ilona, both of you did a good job, but I don't think you did well enough to earn immunity. So that leaves us with Calvin and Pamela."

The two eyed each other.

"Calvin, you got several hits on Chelsea, Ilona, and even some on Pamela," Chris remarked. "But you took your fair share of hits as well. Pamela, on the other hand, has a massive amount of points on Keith, but you certainly took more hits than Calvin did. I'm going to declare the grand winner as…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Calvin."

"Whatever," Pamela scoffed.

"Now, it's time to vote," Chris declared. "I'll leave you the rest of the afternoon to plan out your choice. Although, you've only got four options. Chelsea, Ilona, Pamela, Keith, one of you will be leaving tonight."

The five campers grouped at their camp, and Pamela and Keith both took the center stage.

"I have said it time and time again," Keith declared. "Pamela is a danger to all of us. Today she shoved me over the edge of a waterfall. Probably just like she did to Jojo."

"You've been lying to us all this time," Pamela scoffed. "You're the one who injured Jojo, and you should just come clean. The only reason I went out on Keith was to get payback for all the harm he's caused. And as you can see, he's still in much better condition than Jojo was when you wounded him."

"Do you people actually want someone like her to stay another day longer?" Keith demanded. "Once I'm gone, who's to say she won't turn on you? A million dollars makes people do crazy things."

"Like, oh I don't know, lie to all your friends and break someone's leg?" Pamela suggested. "Sounds like you, Keith."

"Okay, stop!" Ilona exclaimed. "I've heard enough. We'll vote with who feels right, okay?"

Pamela and Keith continued to glare at each other, but neither protested.

* * *

(Dock of Shame)

"Final five, welcome to what is sure to be the most intense elimination ceremony yet," Chris exclaimed. "It's been a long journey, and for one of you, it's all over tonight. But not Calvin, our immunity winner."

Chris tossed a pinecone into Calvin's hand.

The other four remained silent.

"Also safe," Chris continued. "…"

…

…

…

"Chelsea!"

…

…

…

…

"Ilona!"

This left Pamela and Keith.

"No surprise there," Pamela remarked.

"Keith, Keith, Keith," Chris remarked. "I don't think there's been any contestant who's ended up in the bottom two as much as you have."

"What can I say, I'm unique," Keith replied.

"Well, it's all over for one of you," Chris declared. "The final pinecone goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Chris, can we just get this over with?" Keith remarked. "We all know that I'm getting the pinecone."

"Are you sure?" Chris asked.

"Positive," Keith replied.

"Fine, just take it," Chris grumbled.

"What?!" Pamela screamed. "So, that's it!? That's how it's going to be?!"

"Pamela, time to go," Chris said.

"What is wrong with you people!?" Pamela continued to shout. "How can you not see it? He's using you, he's playing all of you, he plans to stab you all in the back."

"We know," Calvin declared flatly.

"How can—Wait, what did you say?" Pamela exclaimed.

"We've all figured it out by now," Ilona remarked. "Keith can't be trusted."

"Yeah, even I figured it out," Chelsea added. "And that's saying something."

"Then why?!" Pamela cried. "Why would you still pick him over me?"

"Because you're scary," Chelsea answered. "You went ballistic on Keith today."

"Yeah, if any of us were in the final two with you…well, it wouldn't be pretty," Calvin remarked.

"And look at Keith," Chelsea continued. "He's like a shrimp."

"We want to win," Calvin declared. "And we have a way better chance of doing that against Keith."

"If it makes any difference," Ilona said with a shrug. "I didn't vote for you."

"You know, I think it does," Pamela said with the faintest hint of a smile. "Ilona…I'm glad I got to meet someone like you at least."

"Pamela, your time is up," Chris said as he shoved her to the edge of the dock.

"Yeah, yeah, just get me out of here," Pamela ordered.

With the push of a button, she was fired into the air.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Pamela-**Well, this game is exactly what I thought it was. A place where people put their greed ahead of any other virtue. And yet, I still found some decent people among the mess. It's made me realize that even if it's only one among a hundred, at least the world isn't a completely heartless place.

* * *

"So, can we head back to camp now?" Keith asked.

"Not quite," Chris said. "I feel as though congratulations are in order."

"Yeah, we know, final four and all that," Chelsea said.

"Well, you see, there's a little twist this time around," Chris said. "In fact, this has been your last elimination ceremony."

"Come again?" Keith asked.

"The finale is tomorrow," Chris declared. "All four of you will be finalists. The challenge will pit you all against each other. One will win and claim that grand prize. One will also get the considerably less glamorous second prize. And the other two will get nothing! So, just giving you the heads up."

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Keith-**Damn it! This ruins my whole game. Now I've got to go up against Ilona and Chelsea in the finale. Well, nothing I can do now, but I'm not letting this throw me off.

**Calvin-**Yes! I told you I'd be making it to the end. Now all that's left it to win.

**Ilona-**The fact that Keith didn't deny any of the accusation at this point is the final bit of evidence I need against him. I really don't think he stands much of a chance tomorrow.

**Chelsea-**Oh yeah, oh yeah, who's the bestest?! Me, Chelsea!"

* * *

**Votes:**

**Keith-**Pamela, I don't think there's anything that needs to be said.

**Pamela-**Who do you think? Keith!

**Chelsea-**Yeah, I'm pretty sure Keith isn't as nice as he acts; he's been way too sneaky and obsessive lately. But Pamela proved that she can be quite uncontrollable today. Whether she's in the right or not, I'd rather not be pitted against her.

**Ilona-**Keith, I'm sorry, but I just don't trust you.

**Calvin-**I saw what Pamela did to Keith. I bet I could do the same to him, but I'll save it for the finale where it'll be twice as humiliating. So instead I'll take out Pamela.

* * *

(Conclusion)

"Just one day away from discovering our winner!" Chris exclaimed. "Who will it be? Have you made your pick? All four of them have worked hard, and it's about to pay off soon. You do not want to miss the exciting finale to Total…Drama…Stranded!"

_Author's Note: The coveted spot of fifth place has probably switched around the most. Way back in the early planning stage, I considered to have Riley get to the end by leeching onto alliances, but I figured that would get old too fast. I then flipped between Donna and Pamela. Both played similar roles, but in the end the tiebreaker was simply that if Pamela went sixth, that would be three returnee boots in a row, which I wanted to avoid. So, there you have it, your final four. Let me know who you want/think will win. And I'll try to finish it all soon._


	27. Champions

"Are you ready for this!?" Chris McClean exclaimed. "This is the moment you've all been waiting for. Four campers have made it past every obstacle in their way, and now one of them is going to claim the grand prize of one million dollars…and another one will get the shameful second prize of a hundred thousand dollars. It's all on the line now, so these four campers are going to have to play harder than ever. We've got quite the challenge planned for them, but the real threat is going to be themselves. There's sure to be some foul play in today's game, these kids will do anything to get themselves ahead. And in the end, who will the grand winner be? Ilona, the fighter who's had a rough life? Chelsea, the cheerleader who sometimes let's her emotions get the best of her? Calvin, the power hungry boy who believes anyone could be a persecutor? Or Keith, the schemer whose devious strategies have yet to fail him? Well, you're about to find out. This is it, the finale for Total…Drama…Stranded!"

(**Theme Song Plays**)

* * *

(Battling Beaches' Camp)

The sun had just crept up into the sky when Ilona opened her eyes and stretched up. She had decided that she ought to get up early to prepare herself for what was sure to be her most intense day yet. However, she found that she was not the first one to wake. Chelsea was up and vigorously going through a series of exercises.

"Wow, you're up early," Ilona remarked.

"Couldn't sleep," Chelsea replied without breaking her routine. "I'm too excited."

"Yeah, it's pretty impressive," Ilona remarked.

"Can you believe it?!" Chelsea cheered as she grabbed onto Ilona's shoulders. "We're in the finale, together! We made it!"

"Well, not just us," Ilona reminded her.

"Oh please," Chelsea snorted. "This is going to be the easiest challenge ever. You've seen those boys, they have nothing on us. Trust me, the only real contest is going to be between which one of us gets first and second."

"Well, try not to get too overconfident," Ilona cautioned her. "Anything could happen."

"If you say so," Chelsea replied. "But, I mean, come on, you've seen those boys in challenges. They've only ever won because they got lucky."

"I can hear you, you know," Calvin said as he left the shelter. "And I'd like to remind you who won the last challenge. That's right, me."

"Like I said, sheer luck," Chelsea retorted.

"Whatever, I'm done even putting up with you people," Calvin said as he marched away from them. "But when I win, I'll be saying I told you so."

Chelsea just rolled her eyes at Ilona.

"He doesn't stand a chance," Chelsea reaffirmed.

"Good morning, ladies!" Keith exclaimed as he hopped down from a tree. "And might I say, congratulations on making it this far."

"You say that like you mean it," Ilona said dryly.

"I do mean it," Keith insisted. "You two girls should be proud you of making it this far."

"Trust me I am," Chelsea said with a grin.

"I'm not even going to talk to you," Ilona said as she turned to leave.

"What's wrong, Ilona?" Keith asked. "Have I upset you? Was it the whole lying backstabber thing? Because if it is, I don't think you should make a big deal about it."

"You played with absolutely no honor!" Ilona snapped. "I tried to trust you, but it just became more and more clear to me that you were twisting others around you like puppets. You don't deserve to be here."

Keith's' eyes seemed to darken.

"I played the only way I could," he declared. "Look at me, I can't rely on my body, the only thing I've got is my brain and I used it. I'm afraid that you can't say the same. You never once made a strategic move, you always clung to your honour. Let's face it, the only reason you actually made it anywhere was because you were lucky enough to not draw any attention to yourself. But I've got news for you, had we been going to a final two I would have made sure that you left without ever seeing the finale. The way I see, you're the only one who doesn't deserve to be here. I saved myself with my brain, you got saved by a lucky twist."

"Okay, guys, let's just calm down," Chelsea said as she came between the two.

"I'll finish this in today's challenge," Ilona declared.

"I look forward to it," Keith replied.

* * *

**Confessional:**

**Chelsea-**It's odd having to be the peacekeeper, that's usually Ilona's job. But I guess even she can have a bit of a temper at times.

**Ilona-**I try not to get mad, but what Keith did just boils my blood. He lied, manipulated, and hurt everyone in his way. I should have seen it sooner, but I kept ignoring it. Well, I don't care who wins as long as it's not him.

**Keith-**I tried to be civil, I really did, but where does she get off telling me that I don't deserve to be here? I am the master of this season, everything happened because I wanted it to, and I am winning that prize.

**Calvin-**I know that I'm at a disadvantage here, but I am not letting anything stop me from winning this game. It's not just the money, if I win, I'll finally be respected everywhere!

* * *

The four campers stood spread out along the beach as they waited for Chris to arrive. They easily spotted his helicopter approaching from the distance in the sky.

"Greetings, finalists!" he exclaimed as he hopped down to the sand.

"Alright, let's do this!" Chelsea cheered. "I'm ready to win this thing!"

"Not so fast," Chris said, "before we start our final challenge, I have prepared a list of questions for you to answer. Just make a confessional and tell the audience what you have to say.

* * *

**Question #1: Do you feel have a played a good game?**

**Chelsea-**I think it's fair to say that I have. I've tried my best to always stay positive, even though there have been a few rough spots. And of course I never took my eye off the prize. I think I've earned this spot.

**Ilona-**Well, this game has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. That being said, I take pride in never losing my cool. It wasn't easy, but I managed to stay level-headed and keep stay true to my morals.

**Keith-**Obviously. I've been playing my victory since day one. I knew exactly what I needed to do to go far and I did it. Sure, there were some bumps in the plan, but I can't be blamed for those.

**Calvin-**I think the fact that I'm still standing here speaks for itself. Sure, I had to be brutal, but sometimes that's the only way you can get ahead.

**Question #2: Do you have any regrets?**

**Chelsea-**My outburst at Matilda. I'm still very upset about what she did and the whole situation, but I really could have handled that more maturely. I think I may owe her an apology when I see her again.

**Ilona-**I never did get to achieve a unity with my teammates, but I've come to accept that that simply would be impossible. I tried and that's all I can do.

**Keith-**While I am sorry I had to betray so many people, I do not regret it. It was all necessary for my victory…although perhaps injuring Jojo was a tad extreme.

**Calvin-**No. Sure, I had to be harsh, but there's no way I was going to let anybody get on top of me.

**Question #3: Would you be happy with second place?**

**Chelsea-**Um, hell no. I am a champion and I came here to win. I mean, I won't complain if I get the money, but first place is what I'm after.

**Ilona-**I'll take whatever I get. However, if I do get second, I hope that Chelsea is the one to beat me.

**Keith-**No. I've played too strong a game to walk away with second place.

**Calvin-**Nope, second place is exactly what I don't want to be. I don't want there to be anyone better than me.

**Question #4: If you could pick an eliminated contestant to bring back for the finale, who would it be?**

**Chelsea-**Garfield, if there's anyone I'd be glad to compete with it's him. I could never be mad coming second place to someone as wonderful as him.

**Ilona-**Sasha, she was just so full of joy. It's really a shame she left as early as she did.

**Keith-**How about Jason? Can you imagine how easy it would be beat him?

**Calvin-**I'm content with who I'm facing right now. This way, when I win I'll be defeating all of my enemies at once.

**Question #5: What would you do with the money if you won?**

**Chelsea-**Well, of course I'd have to use some for university, but I definitely take all my girlfriends on a shopping spree and the most expensive mall in town.

**Ilona-**I'd buy a nicer home. I've been happy with the place I'm living in right now, but that's only because I had no better options.

**Keith-**Oh you know, the usual things….school, presents for my loved ones, donations for charity.

**Calvin-**I'd buy myself a Limousine, and a Ferrari, and some designer sunglasses, and my own yacht, and an indoor swimming pool, and a motorcycle, and new computer, and my own personal jet and…(static cuts him off.)

* * *

"Alright, now that that's done with, let's get on with the challenge," Chris said.

"What's it going to be today?" Calvin asked. "I don't see any big monuments anywhere."

"That's because today's challenge won't be on this island," Chris said. "Now if you'll just squeeze into my helicopter, we can get to our destination."

The final four glanced at each other and shrugged. Then one by one they climbed into the aircraft.

"Off we go!" Chris exclaimed as they soared over the lake.

They left behind the island, but soon enough a new one came into view. The helicopter came down and landed on the shore of this new island.

"Welcome to Not Quite Loser Island," Chris announced as the campers got out. "Or as I like to call it now, Not Quite Winner Island."

"Whoa, this place looks kind of scary," Chelsea remarked as she looked at the wild jungle.

"This is where all the pre-merge losers were sent," Chris explained. "And it's just my luck that none of you ever fit that category, which means that this entire island is new to you."

"You still haven't gotten to the challenge yet," Calvin pointed out.

"The challenge is simple enough," Chris explained. "Do you see that peak over there in the distance? Well, there's a finish line waiting for you there. You'll have to race to it and the first one there wins the million dollars, the second one there gets the hundred grand, and the other two get nothing."

"You're right, that is simple," Keith remarked.

"Ah, but the race itself won't be easy," Chris exclaimed. "You see, to officially complete the challenge, you must follow the path that is marked out for you with signs and cones. It'll take you through the many horrors that the losers had to face, and some new ones as well."

"Bring it on, we can handle it!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"On one final note, I would like to make sure you all understand that this is the final stop for you," Chris said. "If you don't win this challenge then everything you fought for will be in vain. With that in mind, I urge you to be as ruthless as possible when it comes to winning this challenge."

"That won't be a problem for some people," Ilona remarked icily.

"Now, are you ready?" Chris exclaimed. "Get set…Go!"

All four of them took off like rockets running into the savage jungle. Soon they were surrounded by exotic plans of all sorts. Vines hung down from the twisted trees. While all four contestants had started out at the same distance, they soon began to drift apart. Ilona took the lead as she sprinted with all of her strength. Keith, had managed to stay behind her by swinging from vine to vine.

"Sorry, Ilona, I can't let you win this," Keith said as he swung past her.

"I'm not giving you the choice," Ilona said as she increased her speed to catch up with him.

Behind them Chelsea was also running as fast as she could.

"Come on, come on!" she told herself as she watched Ilona and Keith disappeared ahead of her.

Her foot hit a rock and she stumbled slightly. She looked back to see that Calvin was catching up with her.

"Oh no," she said to herself with determination as she picked up the pace.

Calvin seemed to be running as fast as he could, but soon had to stop to lean against a tree.

"Oh ow!" he exclaimed as he grabbed his stomach. "The stitch!"

He shook his head though and kept on running after Chelsea. Ilona had regained her lead now; Keith was having difficulty keeping up with her.

"No!" he exclaimed as he began to lose sight of her. "You're not getting away from me!"

He launched himself to the next tree and chased after her. Chelsea was just starting to catch up with him when she tripped again, this time over a root. However, it was no ordinary root. It wrapped itself around her legs and tightened.

"Ah!" Chelsea cried. "What is this!?"

As she struggled on the ground, Calvin caught up with her.

"Ha, take this!" he laughed as he kicked dirt into her face.

Chelsea winced and suddenly started to get pulled back by the sentient plant.

"You little creep!" she shouted at Calvin.

Calvin was wasting no time now though. He kept on running after his opponents. Keith was starting to catch up with Ilona, but he still could never get close enough to pass her. Suddenly, one of the vines he grabbed recoiled from him.

"Oh, not this again," he groaned.

But it was too late for him to escape. Multiple vines latched onto his arms, legs, and body.

"Let me go, I don't have time for this!" Keith shouted as he struggled with the plant.

Chelsea meanwhile was getting pulled to a very large, bulbous flower. The purple plant wrapped its tendrils around her as it tried to devour her.

"Oh no, this is not happening!" Chelsea cried as she began struggling with twice the strength.

It was no use, though; soon the flower had her entirely encased inside itself.

"You are going to regret this!" Chelsea shouted as she began to shove against the side of the plant.

To her surprise, after enough force, she was able to knock it right off of its roots and sent it rolling through the ground.

"Freedom!" she cheered.

The only problem was that she was still inside the plant.

"Well, sort of," she remarked.

Keith was still having plant problems of his own. No matter how much he struggled, the vines refused to release him. Calvin soon arrived to see him.

"Ha, it's like this whole island is trying to help me win," Calvin chuckled.

Before he could turn to leave, though, Keith grabbed onto his jacket.

"You're not going anywhere," Keith declared.

"Hey, cut it out!" Calvin exclaimed as he started to struggle.

However, soon the vines extended to him as well and began wrapping around him. By this point, Chelsea had managed to get her feet out of the flower, but nothing else.

"Okay, let's see if I find my way around," she said to herself.

She took a few steps before walking right into a try.

"Ow! This is going to take some work," she sighed.

Ilona had a strong lead by now. She sent a quick glance behind herself, but didn't see anyone coming. She allowed herself to grin slightly to herself as she kept running. Calvin and Keith were now starting to make progress on their predicament. With their combined strength they were able to snap the vines off of the tree. Both of them crashed down to the ground.

"Well, I'm outta here!" Keith exclaimed.

However, as he tried to run he found himself pulled back. To his surprise, he realized that he was still tied to Calvin by the vines.

"You're not going anywhere without me," Calvin declared.

"We'll see about that," Keith exclaimed as he kept trying to break free.

"Oh no, you don't," Calvin retorted as he began to struggle with the other boy.

Both of them began rolling through the ground only getting more tangled in the vines. Eventually they ended up just nearly rolling into a muddy ditch. The only thing that kept them from falling was that the vine had gotten snagged on a rock.

"Okay, maybe we should work on getting out of these vines first," Calvin remarked.

"It shouldn't be too hard," Keith said. "I just need to work my way through here…"

"Hello, is anyone there!" Chelsea called as she walked blindly from inside of a giant flower.

She stumbled right over the rock and knocked the boys along with her into the mud. In her fortune, though, the fall managed to knock her right out of the flower.

"Ouch," she moaned as she landed into the mud.

"Aha, I'm out!" Calvin exclaimed as he ripped off the vines. "Now, I've got a challenge to win!"

"Not if I have anything to say about that!" Chelsea shouted as she followed after him.

"Wait for me!" Keith pouted as he worked his way out of the vines.

As Ilona continued to run she had spotted several blue arrows and cones positioned around the jungle that guided her along the course. Eventually she passed a large plant with a bell shaped flower hanging over its stem. She made sure to keep her distance from it without slowing down. This proved to be a futile action, though, as the plant spat out a long, sticky tongue to latch onto her back.

"Ack!" she cried as she was suddenly pulled down to the ground. "Let me go!"

She tried to struggle with the plant, but soon heard someone approaching.

"Alright, first place here I come!" Calvin exclaimed.

"I don't think so," Ilona said as she grabbed onto his ankle.

"Thanks Ilona!" Chelsea exclaimed as she hopped over the two.

"No way!" Calvin cried as he managed to wrap his arms around her legs.

"Well, isn't this nice," Keith laughed as he ran past his rivals.

"Not going to happen," Chelsea scoffed as she grabbed onto his ponytail.

Eventually the plant decided that it couldn't hold all four of them and released Ilona.

"Move it!" Calvin exclaimed as he shoved the others out of his way.

He pulled ahead and took the lead.

"Get back here!" Keith exclaimed.

He tried to run, but Chelsea blocked his path. Keith didn't slow down, though, instead he just slid through Chelsea's legs.

"Sorry, Chelsea, I've got to catch up with them," Ilona said as she sprinted past Ilona.

"Oh, there is no way I'm taking last place," Chelsea said as she bolted right after Ilona.

Ilona began gaining on Keith.

"Uh-oh," Keith remarked as he glanced back.

Quickly, he swerved to the left. This caused for Ilona to run straight into a tree that he had been headed for.

"Just leave him to me, Ilona," Chelsea said as she ran passed the partially stunned girl.

Keith was starting to slow down now with his breath finally catching up with him. This allowed for Chelsea to reach him easier. Keith tried to avoid her, but she managed to grab the back of his head.

"Lights out, Keith," she said as she rammed his face into a tree. "And now it's time for me to take my place in the lead."

As Keith regained himself, he saw Ilona catching up. He quickly charged at her and tried to slide underneath her.

"Sorry, that trick won't work twice," Ilona said as she blocked him with her legs.

She then gave Keith a firm shove backwards.

"I'd apologize, but you deserve that," she said before running back along the course.

Calvin had the lead now, but Chelsea was quickly coming up on him. The boy had arrived at a temple by now, which the arrows directed him to enter. He took another back to see that Chelsea had nearly caught up, then quickly rushed into the temple. As soon as he stepped on the first tile, it sprung up and launched him into the air.

"Noooo!" he cried as he soared all the way back to the middle of the jungle.

"Thanks for the heads up," Chelsea laughed as she made certain walk around that particular tile.

However, she took one more step and suddenly fell straight down into a sealed chamber.

"Damn it!" she cursed.

Calvin had landed back in the jungle, but soon spotted the signs and was able to find his way back on course. He ran with all his might as he tried to catch up. Ilona, meanwhile, had arrived at the temple and made sure to hug the wall as she made her way through. Once she midway through the first corridor, though, darts began to fire at her from the wall.

"Whoa," she exclaimed as she began dodging them from side to side.

Outside, Keith was just starting to arrive at the temple. Calvin was coming up right behind him, though.

"Out of my way!" he exclaimed as he shoved Keith aside.

Chelsea, meanwhile, had realized that there was a latch on the ceiling of the chamber. She leapt up several time, before finally grabbing onto it. She climbed back into the corridor where she saw Calvin trying to creep past.

"See ya," she said as she grabbed onto him and tossed him into the small chamber.

"No!" Calvin cried as Chelsea sealed of the room.

She then ran ahead with Keith just following behind. Ilona had made it past all the darts safely and came to a door. Once she had entered it, the door sealed shut and a different one opened up. Chelsea found that since all the darts had been used on Ilona, she had a clear path straight through to this new door. Cautiously she stepped through. Ilona found herself in a room full of disc shaped platforms over a deep drop. She tentatively put her foot on one of them and found that it wobbled from side to side.

"Well, this should be fun," she sighed.

Meanwhile, Chelsea found herself facing a similar drop, only her way across was a series of beams that swung from side to side.

"Okay, let's do this," she said to herself as she started to make her way across.

Calvin, still in the chamber, had found that he was too short to reach the latch.

"This is so unfair!" he shouted as he punched at the wall.

To his surprised, this caused the wall to slide open and reveal a new passage. An arrow signed was positioned on the wall and read, 'Shortcut.'

"Ooh, I like," Calvin remarked with a grin.

Keith had arrived at the door by now and also followed Chelsea's path. He entered the room and saw Chelsea slowly making her way across the beam.

"Sorry, Chelsea, but I'm going to have to stop you there," Keith said as he kicked the beam and caused it to swing wildly.

Chelsea tried to keep her balance but failed. She was just lucky enough to grab on to the edges. Once it had slowed again Keith began to make his way across. Chelsea, however, was not about to give up.

"Oh, you are going to be sorry," Chelsea exclaimed as she flipped her legs upwards and managed to kick Keith over the side. Keith like her, though, was able to grab onto the edge.

"Well, we seem to be in a bit of a deadlock now," Keith remarked.

Calvin was finding his shortcut much to his liking. There were no traps in his way and he had a straight path right to the next part of the course. He climbed up a small flight of stairs to himself faced with a ladder against a wall. He looked back to see Ilona hop off of her last platform and arrive just behind him.

"Yikes," he exclaimed as he began to climb up the ladder.

Ilona rushed after him. Calvin climbed until he had arrived in a new cavern. This location was incredibly dark and he had to slowly grope his way through the blackness. Ilona arrived just after him and had to follow the same pattern. Suddenly something large and furry jumped onto Calvin's back.

"Ah, spider!" he screamed. "Get it off, get it off!"

As Ilona's eyes began to focus she noticed several figures in the shadows scurrying around the cavern. They were absolutely surrounded by spiders. She assumed a fighting stance. Soon the spiders began to attack. She was able to knock them all off with well-placed blows.

"Get it off, get it off!" Calvin continued to scream as he ran around the room frantically.

Ilona sighed and punched in his direction. She ended up hitting Calvin in the face and knocking him unconscious. She then kicked the spider off of his body. Meanwhile, Chelsea and Keith still weren't making any progress.

"Well, I think we may need to call a truce for the next five minutes if we want to get out of here," Chelsea remarked.

"Agreed," Keith replied.

Both of them were able to pull themselves up and then slowly they walked together along the beams. Eventually they were able to reach the room with the ladder.

"Truce off, me first!" Chelsea exclaimed as she charged towards the ladder.

Keith didn't pause and ran right after her. As Chelsea arrived at the dark cave she couldn't make out anything except a flurry of shadows.

"Be careful!" Ilona exclaimed. "There are monstrous spiders everywhere."

"Well, they're not going to get the best of me," Chelsea exclaimed as she began to kick and slap at everything around her.

Keith arrived next and soon evaluated the situation.

"Well, looks like I've found my chance to get ahead," he remarked as he clung to the wall and crept past all the action.

Chelsea joined up with Ilona and helped her to fight off the many oncoming spiders. They seemed to be making no progress, though, as every time they knocked one back, two more came at them.

"We need to keep moving," Chelsea told her.

The girls tried to shove their way through the spiders. However, suddenly, the ground stopped and the two of them found themselves sliding into a pit full of spiders.

"Well, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse," Ilona sighed.

Calvin had started to recover and was now slowly crawling along the ground. Keith, meanwhile, had managed to sneak past all the spiders and reached the exit. Or at least that was what he thought. He felt something stick to his shoe and looked down. It was a wispy white web.

"Uh-oh," he remarked.

Suddenly he was swarmed by spiders. In a matter of minutes he was completely cocooned in webbing and hanging from their web. Calvin continued to remain unnoticed as he slowly made his way forwards. Chelsea and Ilona were not having any luck, though.

"We need to get out of here," Chelsea exclaimed as many spiders swarmed her from all sides.

"How?" Ilona asked as she performed various complex movements on the oncoming spiders. "The slope is too steep for us to climb."

"Look," Chelsea said as she pointed upwards. "There's a web there. We can use it to pull ourselves up. We just need to get past these creatures."

"Leave it to me," Ilona said. "Out of my way!"

She charged into a powerful tackle, knocking aside all spiders that blocked her path. Chelsea stuck to her and followed just behind. Soon they had reached the web. Ilona grabbed on first and began to pull herself up. Chelsea did the same. Both of them pull themselves across the web and headed towards the exit of the cavern. Calvin arrived first, though. While sticking to the ground he made his way through the crevice in the wall.

"We're almost there," Chelsea told Ilona.

Suddenly, something slammed into the girls. It was a large cocoon of webbing. The girls were knocked back down to the ground. A pair of arms burst out of the webbing and began to wrestle with Chelsea.

"It's Keith!" Ilona cried.

"Keep going," Chelsea ordered. "I can handle him."

Keith eventually was able to shake off the entire web cocoon. He and Chelsea continued to wrestle though, with neither one getting the advantage. That was until Chelsea managed to slam Keith against the rock wall. Keith was shaken, but still standing. However, this gave Chelsea the chance to turn and run after Ilona. Calvin, meanwhile, had made it back outside. He realized that he was at the bottom of the small peak.

"Oh, I am so winning this," he laughed to himself as he followed the winding path up to the top.

"Don't be so sure!" Ilona exclaimed as she burst out of the cavern.

She spotted Calvin and sprinted right after him.

"No, I'm winning!" Calvin exclaimed as he tried to pick up the pace.

The slope was tough, though, and he soon found his body ready to give up.

"No, no, gotta keep going," he told himself.

It was no use, though, Ilona had soon passed him. At the bottom of the peak, Chelsea had arrived and wasn't slowing down. Keith was following just behind her. He found that there were several trees scattered along the path to the top.

"Perfect," he exclaimed as he climbed up.

From there he was able to jump from tree to tree. He had soon caught up with Chelsea.

"This is going to be a close race," Chris said as he waited at the finish line at the top. "It's been not stop changing all day. Right now, Ilona had the lead and Calvin is falling behind her. Keith is using is treetop transportation to get ahead of Chelsea who has now fallen into last place."

"Not going to lose, not going to lose," Calvin wheezed to himself as he gave himself another burst of energy.

Keith was leaving Chelsea behind and was coming up on Calvin now.

"Heh, I can do this," Keith declared.

However, suddenly the branch he was holding onto snapped. He tumbled down to the ground.

"Ha, not so smug now, are you?" Chelsea laughed as she passed him.

Ilona was getting close to the finish line now. Calvin was coming up just behind her.

"I'm not letting you win!" he roared as he charged at her.

He slammed his entire body into her. Ilona was knocked back by the sudden blow. Calvin turned to run for the finish line, but Ilona grabbed onto him. Calvin tried to struggle, but couldn't land a blow on Ilona. He was able to break free of her grip, though.

"I'm not letting you get past me!" he declared.

"Trust me, you don't want to fight me," Ilona declared steely.

Calvin eyed her, now assuming her fighting stance. He knew that in his exhausted state he wouldn't stand a chance.

"You're right," he sighed.

Ilona made to move past him. Suddenly, Calvin punched her in the stomach. She winced and stumbled backwards. Calvin delivered a kick and sent her falling over the edge of the slope. She desperately clung onto the edge of the cliff.

"Now, it's time to win," Calvin exclaimed.

"Time for me to win, you mean!" Chelsea exclaimed as she charged up the slope.

"Nooo!" Calvin cried.

The two of them collided. Both of them entered a chaotic battle. Both struggled with one another, sending punches and kicks in both directions.

"It's mine!" Calvin growled.

"You don't deserve it," Chelsea shot back.

Keith had arrived now and saw the two of them struggling as well as Ilona hanging over the edge.

"Well, this is just too easy," he remarked.

Ilona tried to pull herself up, but the rocks crumbled in her hands as she grabbed them. Keith made his way towards the finish.

"As if," Chelsea snorted as she shot a punch at him without breaking her engagement with Calvin.

Keith was knocked back again. Chelsea and Calvin were both getting closer to the finish line as they struggled.

"This is going to be close," Chris exclaimed eagerly.

Keith got back up and ran for the line. Ilona was just beginning to get her body back onto the ground. Chelsea and Calvin rolled towards the line fury. A hand passed the line.

"And…" Chris exclaimed. "…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Calvin is the winner of Total Drama Stranded!"

Both Calvin and Chelsea rolled over the line together, followed by Keith running past them.

"Chelsea is the runner-up!" Chris exclaimed. "And Keith, you get nothing."

Keith punched a tree in frustration.

"No, no, no!" he growled.

Chelsea and Calvin had broken apart by now, while Ilona finally arrived at the finish place.

"Congratulations Calvin," Chris said. "You have won the million dollar prize."

"Are you sure?" Chelsea demanded. "We both crossed the line at the same time."

"Don't believe me? See for yourself," Chris said as he turned on a TV.

The video showed both of them rolling in the dirt. A hand crossed the line; it was easy to see that it was attached to Calvin's purple jacket.

"Well, Calvin," Chelsea sighed. "I don't like you, but you won, so congratulations."

"Yeah, that's right I won!" Calvin boasted.

"Second place is good too Chelsea," Ilona consoled.

Glaring at Calvin she added, "And you are a much more deserving winner."

"I totally deserved to win," Calvin scoffed. "Did you honestly think that I was going to just hand the prize over to you like some wimp?"

Ilona just continued to glare at Calvin.

"Keith, anything you'd like to say to our winners?" Chris asked.

"Well, you won," Keith stated dryly. "I didn't. There's nothing I can do about that now, can I?"

"Fair enough," Chris said. "Now, let's get you back together with the other contestants for one last celebration."

The four campers filed into the helicopter. Chris stayed outside to deliver one final word to the audience.

"Well, he didn't strategize, he wasn't very nice, and he wasn't very strong," he concluded. "Somehow, Calvin's determination was enough to win him the grand victory, though. And let's not forget Chelsea, who also fought hard to get all the way to second place. I'm sure that money will be enough for one…maybe two shopping sprees. As for Keith and Ilona, let's hope they learned valuable lessons. Ilona learned that trusting others and letting her guard down can be fatal, and Keith learned that strategy means nothing if it doesn't help you win the most important challenge of your life. Well, time to see how the others are doing."

* * *

(Playa Des Losers)

The sixteen former contestants had watched the entire event on a giant TV at the lavish resort. Now, they were just waiting for the final four to arrive. Currently, Donna and Elijah were relaxing in a hot tub together, Rusty and Misha were at the snack table, Matilda and Jojo we're cuddling off to the side, Garfield and Timothy were playing in the pool together, and the rest were sitting on beach chairs, having just finished watching the action.

"Lady Sasha cannot believe that such a brute won," Sasha exclaimed. "This tournament was most unsatisfactory."

"No use getting worked up about it," Stanley said to her. "At least Chelsea seemed like a nice enough girl."

"True, but Commander Ilona deserved the great treasure most of all," Sasha declared.

"Wait, who won?!" Jason demanded. "I couldn't see because I'm blind!"

"Calvin won," Stanley explained with a look of exasperation in his eyes, "and Chelsea came in secon—"

"Whoa, whoa, which one's Calvin?" Jason demanded.

Stanley just sighed in frustration. Over in another chair Shannon was trying to get close to Riley.

"Hey there, sexy," she purred. "So, do you want to hear the story about the time when I was dared to kiss a girl?"

"Are you still trying that?" Riley asked as he cracked an eye open. "I'm sorry, but I've got a new lovely lady in my life. Her name is Tubsy-Wubsy."

He held up the plump chicken that was resting under his chair.

"Hmph, what does she have that I don't?" Shannon pouted.

"She knows when to shut up," Riley remarked.

In the pool, Timothy and Garfield were splashing each other playfully.

"I can't believe we've never done something like this before," Garfield laughed. "I've clearly been missing out all this time."

Timothy just smiled at his brother. Over in the hot tub, Elijah was cuddling against Donna.

"Say, Elijah, there's probably something I should confess," Donna said somewhat uneasily.

"What is it?" Elijah asked as he let go of her.

"You see, your elimination was kinda my fault," Donna admitted. "I sorta told everyone that you were the mastermind, so they wouldn't vote for me. I'm really sorry about it, but I thought you should know."

"Whoa…" Elijah exclaimed. "That was really smart. I never would have thought of anything like that."

"So, we're good?" Donna asked.

"Less talk, more love," Elijah said as he kissed her.

Meanwhile, another couple was getting affection with each other.

"Like, how is your leg doing?" Matilda asked Jojo.

"A lot better now that I've got your love on my side," Jojo said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, you are, like, so super!" Matilda laughed. "I don't even care that, like, I didn't win. You're the bestest prize ever."

"Same to you," Jojo replied. "You're way cooler than any of the girls at my school."

"Well, I, like, have been studying all the right tips and stuff, you know," Matilda giggled.

Over at the table, Rusty was helping himself to some snacks.

"Out of my way!" Misha snapped as she shoved him aside. "I need my diet cola."

She grabbed a bottle and poured herself a cup. As soon as she had taken a drink, Rusty burst out laughing.

"What is so f**king funny!?" Misha demanded.

"Heh, when no one was looking, I had Aurelius switch the bottles," Rusty cackled. "So you actually just drank regular cola."

Misha splashed the rest of her drink at Rusty's face.

"Ah! My eyes, they burn!" Rusty cried. "Now I remember why I always have these goggles on my head."

Back at the seats, Esme was eying Pamela curiously.

"What? Am I offending you?!" Pamela snapped.

"Your aura has changed drastically," Esme remarked. "The void is slowly becoming filled. Have you found something to repair your damage?"

"You could say that," Pamela said with a smile.

Timothy climbed out of the pool and sat down next to Pamela. The two of them smiled at each other.

"I'm actually really glad I went on this game," Timothy said. "If I hadn't I never would have met you."

"Met me? You're the one who helped me out," Pamela said. "I should be the grateful one here."

The two couldn't continue talking, though as Chris's helicopter was arriving.

"Attention losers," Chris announced. "Allow me to present, your finalists!"

The helicopter landed and the former campers clapped as Ilona, Keith, Chelsea, and Calvin stepped out respectively.

"Hi, everybody!" Chelsea laughed. "So happy to see you all again."

"That's nice, but I think they're most interested in seeing the real winner, me," Calvin declared.

Suddenly a coconut soared towards Calvin and slammed him in the head.

"Ow, who threw that!" he snapped.

Sasha whistled innocently.

"Well, I'll leave you guys here to enjoy yourselves," Chris said.

Chelsea immediately went towards Matilda and Jojo.

"Uh, hey guys," she said awkwardly. "I just wanted to say that…well, I kinda acted a little…you know…"

"Don't worry, we, like, totally heard your confessionals and stuff," Matilda said.

"So, can you forgive me?" Chelsea asked.

"Like, totally," Matilda said. "I would have done the same thing, like, if I was you."

"And you?" Chelsea asked Jojo.

"I'm too mad at Keith right now to be mad at you," Jojo said. "Where is that little twerp? I'm gonna tear him apart."

Keith had disappeared though. Fearing the wrath of the former contestants he had hid himself in one of the artificial bushes. Ilona walked over to see her old friends.

"Impressive performance, Commander Ilona," Sasha exclaimed. "Truly you were the true champion."

"Thanks, it's nice of you to say so," Ilona said with a smile. "But I guess I never should have let Calvin get the better of me. That was my mistake."

"Hey, there's no shame in being a person who only sees the best in everyone," Garfield said to her. "You may not have won the game, but I think you said a great example for everyone out there."

Calvin was beginning to get frustrated now as he tried to get people to pay attention to him.

"Hello, I won!" he snapped. "Somebody congratulate me or something!"

But every time he approached someone, they would just turn away and avoid him.

"Jojo, buddy," he exclaimed as he approached the jock. "What did you think of how I won?"

"Yeah, great,"Jojo said unenthusiastically.

He then immediately went back to making out with Matilda. Calvin stomped his foot in frustration. The party continued into the evening. Keith eventually dared coming out, but he didn't speak to anyone. Instead he just watched them all from the distance. Chelsea was currently telling all of her friends that she would be sure to invite them all to a victory party after they got back. Elijah had approached Calvin and was discussing something with him. When they were finished Elijah turned to enter the building they were staying at. He came to a door and was about to open it, when a woman grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"You'd better not go in there," she said.

The woman was a short, blond, middle-aged nurse.

"She's having one of her rages," the nurse explained.

From inside the room, Elijah could hear Briony tossing things against the wall.

"Let me out, I'm going to kill him!" she roared. "He's here, isn't he!? He can't keep him safe from me!"

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Elijah remarked. "But could you at least tell her that Calvin has offered to pay for the best therapy and treatment money can buy. It took some convincing, but I think deep down he does feel bad about the way he treated her."

"Of course," the nurse said.

Soon nightfall came, and along with it, the Boat of Losers.

"All aboard, former campers!" Chris exclaimed. "It's time to go home."

All of them walked onto the boat. The couple were all holding hands. Matilda had to help Jojo walk with his crutches along the dock. Briony was wearing a straitjacket now and had to be guided by her nurse. Elijah gave her a smile, but she just gnashed her teeth at him.

Once everyone was on the boat, it took off leaving Chris alone.

"Well, that does it for another successful season of Total Drama!" Chris exclaimed. "There were winners, there were losers, there were lovers, there were friends, and there were enemies. All in all, there was drama. And don't think this is the end of it all. Total Drama will be coming back with an even more epic season than before. Until then, though, thanks for watching Total Drama Stranded!"

_Author's Note: Please read the Epilogue next chapter before commenting._


	28. Epilogue

_Author's Lengthy Explanation:_

So, I felt that I needed to create a separate page for this, cause I've got a lot to say. I'd like to ask you to hear me out before you start screaming, "What the hell, that was a terrible winner!" I had always planned for Calvin to win, right from the start, and I have my reasons for it.

First of all, I didn't want this story to follow the typical path of a hero overcoming a monstrous villain. As you could probably tell, this series was full of morally grey, mixed characters. Total Drama is meant to be a reality show, right, not a hero's adventure. In reality, you can't always have the perfect hero triumph, and there isn't always some horrid villain. Calvin was a jerk, for his own petty reasons, and was not meant to be likable, but he wasn't evil. He probably didn't deserve to win, but that doesn't mean anything, he did anyway.

And second of all, from a more writer's point of view, the characters were set up each with their own gameplays. Keith's game relied entirely on strategy, Ilona's on honour, and Chelsea's mostly on emotion. Calvin was what I like to call the wildcard character. He had no particular skill and only played for himself. That's why I felt that it was fitting that he somehow came out on top of the other three.

_Other Notes of the characters:_

**Chelsea:** I feel that Chelsea was the typical protagonist character. She was the hero for the most part and I actually considered having an alternate ending where she won. She wasn't perfect, as shown by her outburst, yet she was able to overcome this. While I said her prime game was emotion, she also did mix physical and strategy from time to time. I think she would have been a good winner, which is why I created the second place prize for her.

**Ilona:** Ilona was another good character, but I never planned for her to win. Her honourable attitude was admirable, but it just wasn't the right kind of mindset for this game which is why I felt that she didn't deserve to win.

**Keith:** I found Keith to be a very interesting character, and probably one of my favorites. If you've read any of my past stuff, you'll notice that I've never been great and doing villains. With Keith, though, I think I managed to subvert several of the typical villain attributes. Keith definitely wasn't a monster, and he even started out pretty nice. He just remained objective, which was why he had no problem betraying his allies. The further he got, the cockier and meaner he became. But still, he never turned into one of those, "Mwa ha ha, I'm so evil," type of villains. If he was a typically Total Drama villain, he would have gone after he got a humiliating defeat. But again, I wanted to do something different and show that the villain doesn't always punish those who deserve it. But Pamela does, and that's what she was there for. She gave Keith the karma she thought he deserved, even if it didn't result in him being voted out. In the end, though, I didn't want Keith to win, because he was just the opposite of Ilona. He strategized but had no friends, which was also an important part of the game.

Well, I really hoped you liked this series. Special thank you to those of you who reviewed every chapter, and those that made edgics for it. I had a tonne of fun writing and I thank all of for supporting!

_So, what does the future hold:_

For those of you who are fans of Total Drama ReAction, I don't know if it'll continue. Every time I sit down to write, I just feel like the whole thing is dragging on. I'm not going to say it's dead, though, I may come back to it eventually…but I make no promises.

And I will be starting up a new series soon. It shall be called **Total Drama Switcheroo. **I've posted character introductions for the sixteen characters on my (agreenparrot) deviantart, so check it out if you're interested. I hope that you'll all continue to support me, so keep an eye out for that new series soon.


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